A Cinderella Story: What If
by Jade-Max
Summary: A Cinderella Story - Series of Vignettes about "What If" moments that could have been from the movie; not related one to another; all stand alone pieces in the same thread. Mostly Sam/Austin
1. Popular Kids

March 2009

Disclaimer: _A Cinderella Story_ is owned by Disney; I'm simply playing in the sandbox

Title: "What If"

Author: Jade_Max

Genre: AU Vignette Series

Summary: A Series of Vignettes about "What If" moments that could have been from the movie; not related one to another; all stand alone pieces in the same thread. Mostly Sam/Austin

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**Vig #1 - Popular Kids**

"They don't even know I exist."

"EW! Stalkeratzi at three o'clock."

Sam rolled her eyes at the blatant shallow display by Shelby Cumming's girls. She could never remember their names - why would she want to? - but they were all as bad as Shelby. And Shelby, being Shelby, scooped up the horn her other pet was carrying to ensure they heard whatever she had to say. Like they'd ever miss it when Shelby was talking about them; the girl wasn't exactly discreet.

"The white zone is for cool people only; no geeks."

Glancing at Carter - whom she knew had a crush on Shelby and had for years - Sam hoped he wouldn't take it personally. Shelby was as shallow as the kids around her - and she was glad to see that Carter looked more disgusted than hurt.

Her attention was drawn back as one of Austin's flunkies - Brian was it? - decided it was her turn. "Hey, Diner Girl - can I get a breakfast burrito to go? Thank you."

Biting the inside of her lip, Sam wished she had the courage to bite back - only to be saved from an unexpected source.

"That's enough, man; leave them alone."

Sam wasn't the only one whose gaze flew to Austin Ames' face, shocked beyond measure to hear _him_ coming to her rescue. Sure, he was at her dad's… at _Fiona's_ diner all the time, but that didn't mean he knew she existed.

"What?"

"I said leave them alone." A quick glance at his girlfriend showed she was about to say something, but Austin included her in the arc of his thinly veiled order. "You too Shelby."

"_Excuse _me?" Shelby looked almost... stricken. "What did you just say to me?"

"I said that's enough Shelby."

"And what planet did you wake up on this morning, Austin; loserville? Or is it be nice to geeks week and I didn't get the Memo?"

"How about have some common decency and respect for your fellow man, week? Would it really kill you to be nice for two minutes?"

Austin shook his head, glanced Sam and Carter's way for a moment, and then walked away from his friends. Incredulous, they followed him and Sam couldn't make out what they were saying as the five pelted Austin with questions. Not that she really cared, but _Austin Ames_, Football Captain and Student Body President, had just stuck up for a pair of nobodies.

Had the world started spinning backwards?

"_What_ just happened?"

"You've got me, Carter - that was the _strangest_ thing I've ever seen."

"No kidding." They sat in silence for a minute before exchanging a look and then Sam shook her head and continued to drive through the parking lot looking for a space to park. Whatever had just happened, she wasn't about to try and make sense of it - but, hopefully, it would grant her and Carter a brief reprieve from the constant and cruel teasing of one Shelby Cummings.

Whatever Austin's reasoning for speaking up today of all days she didn't know, she was just grateful that one of the 'cool' kids seemed to have a conscience. It was just more than a little shocking to find out that, of that social circle, it was Austin Ames.

Nomad would never believe her.

_fin_


	2. Unmasking

**Vig #2 - Unmasking**

Sam felt like Cinderella at the ball, well remembering her father's bedtime stories and more than a little emboldened from the knowledge that while she knew Austin's identity, he didn't know hers. When he'd shown up calling her Princeton Girl, she hadn't exactly been thrilled; Austin Ames was no Prince Charming. At least, not the Austin Ames she knew from reputation and observation at school.

The Austin Ames who wrote Nomad's words, however… now _he_ was worth knowing - but could the jock be reconciled with the inner poet? He said he could and he sounded so _sure_ of it she couldn't _not_ give him a chance. How could she shun him for being popular when he claimed it wasn't what he wanted? Yet, if it wasn't what he wanted, why was he playing the part? Was this just another role for him to play? Another way of testing the waters and trying something new or was this really who he was - closet poet, Mr. Sensitive and struggling to grow beyond his father's influence to be who _he_ wanted to be, not what others wanted him to be?

She didn't know.

Until he'd invited her outside, she was certain their conversations were going to revolve around the punch table and various dark corners so he could be seen. That he claimed to be completely uninterested in becoming Homecoming Prince had been a bit of a curve ball - and it had been the only thing that had convinced her to join him outside.

Now, walking hand in hand - he'd used one of his ten precious questions to request the privilege of it - she considered him from the corner of her eye as they walked through the leafed arch ways. By her count he was at five questions; which meant he had just five more to discover her identity. Thrilling as it was, her heart was racing a mile a minute as they stepped into the hotel's gardens and her breath caught.

It was just like a fairytale courtyard; roses, candles, gazebo - all of it. All that was missing were the magical talking instruments or creatures who would serenade them. Austin led her straight to the Gazebo, giving her a hand up the steps with such gentlemanly chivalry, the magic of the night was almost impossible to resist.

"If I ask you to dance, would that count as one of my questions?"

She laughed, not really answering his question and enjoying keeping him guessing. "There's no music."

"So?"

Turning, she caught his gaze as a small half smile crossed his lips. His hazel eyes twinkled as he gazed down into hers and his earlier comment about _her_ eyes crossed her mind. Whatever his reason for complimenting her so lavishly - but sincerely - she knew she'd always remember this moment no matter how the rest of the night went.

He extended his hand to her, palm up, and inclined his body in a bow towards her, giving her the chance to decline. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she wouldn't. This was what she'd come to do; this was why she was disobeying her Step Mother and wearing a mask - she'd come to see if Nomad was too good to be true.

So far, aside from that initial shock, this night was turning out to be something she'd never expected.

Sliding her hand into his, goose bumps spread along her arm and her heart stuttered in her chest as his fingers closed so confidently about hers. He drew her closer as he lifted her hand to his shoulder and within moments she was closer to him than she'd been all night - closer to him than she'd been to _any_ man since her dad had died.

Praying he couldn't see her racing heartbeat - or feel the way she knew she was shaking - she smiled shyly up at him as he began to move, drawing her with him. They moved in silence for a moment or two before the strains of a guitar drifted to them. They turned to look, their heads moving as if choreographed, to see who was watching them.

A trio - guitar, violin and tambourine - had been setting up for the following morning and, upon seeing the Prince and his Princess within the Gazebo - had pounced upon the opportunity for an impromptu performance.

The song was familiar to them both and, with the addition of music, Sam felt herself relax into the movements. Her eyes remained locked with Austin's as they danced, his confident lead at odds with what she'd thought she'd known about him. Sure, confidence was his thing, but dancing? Who would have believed that Austin Ames, _Football Captain_, knew how to waltz? Or - she grinned, laughing as he stepped to the side and proceeded to spin her around and around - did a good job of _pretending_ to know how to waltz.

He caught her close, bending his head as their eyes locked and then tipped her backwards, over one arm. Never, not once, did fear enter into the equation or did she believe he would do anything but catch her. It was in his eyes, his touch; Austin held her like some kind of precious, breakable object – like something he loved.

Her heart tripped over itself again as he put her back on her feet, his hands leaving hers. His knuckles brushed across her cheeks as his hands lifted to her face. His head was down, his gaze drifting to her lips and then back to her eyes as if in silent question – and she saw the first fraction of movement. In slow motion, he dipped his head towards hers, giving her the chance to meet him, or turn away.

_Austin Ames was going to kiss her!_

Panic swelled in her breast, and she reacted before thinking, ducking her head away. If he kissed her now and then discovered her identity, what would he say? Would he treat her differently before and after, or would that be the end of a beautiful night? Austin didn't know who she was just that she was some mysterious stranger, a girl who went to his school.

Kissing her was _not_ something she was willing to allow until he knew who she was; how else would she ever know if he wanted to kiss _her_ – Sam Montgomery – or if he was just indulging in a fantasy? Would his outlook on her as Sam be changed once he realized just who his Princeton Girl was? She didn't know and she knew she'd never know if he kissed her now.

Lifting one hand to her mask, she felt to ensure it was still firmly in place, she couldn't look at him. She missed seeing the look that crossed his face, but she couldn't and didn't miss how he stepped out of her personal space, spreading his arms wide in understanding and complete acceptance of her reluctance. It made her smile, all the more so when he bowed with a little flourish, offering her the choice to continue dancing with him or not. The silent challenge in his gaze was unmistakable and completely at odds with his attempt to appear harmless.

It was the challenge that drew her – and the knowledge that he'd accepted her reaction as an honest one. Here he wasn't Austin Ames, but Nomad609; her chat buddy, a man she admired for his prose and his quick mind. His wit and charm were in full force tonight and while he was packaged in the body of one Austin Ames, it was Nomad, the poet, who held her now. It was he who danced with her, _accepted_ her; it was he who refused to push her into something she wasn't ready for.

They danced for another few minutes, the violin, tambourine and guitar blending perfectly together as they ran through the score of Edwin McCain's _I'll Be_. Finally, the music began to die away, and – a little unnerved by his silence – Sam broke it with a question of her own; there was an intensity to his look that emboldened her just that much more. That, and the question she could see but not understand simmering in those mesmerizing eyes.

"All out of questions?"

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment and then inhaled softly, as if bracing himself for her answer even though it came out almost whimsical. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Ironic enough question? But how to answer it? It _wasn't_ the first time he'd seen her but it _was_ the first time he'd ever noticed her. He probably didn't even know her name beyond what his friends call her. She considered saying as much, but it didn't seem quite right. Giving it some though, she finally looked away, down to his chest before the answer sprang to mind. She smiled faintly and answered him honestly – as honestly as she could.

"I'll let you know."

Her answer, if anything, didn't deter him but seemed to intrigue him even more and he nodded as if she'd just confirmed something for him – and then asked the question anyway. "But I've seen you before?"

"Yes."

True to his e-mails, he answered as only Nomad would have. "Man...How," he wondered, searching her gaze, "could I have seen you before and not know who you are now?"

_Because superficial exterior beauty is what everyone sees? _Much as she wanted to say it, she couldn't. Instead, she surprised them both by saying something she'd always felt but had never given voice to. "Maybe you were _looking_ but you weren't really _seeing_."

Maybe it was what she said, or _how_ she said it, but Austin seemed to pick something from her words and it was like watching a light bulb go off inside his head. As if she'd just given him a piece to a very intriguing puzzle – her – but he didn't yet know what to do with it.

Coyly, she forced him to think, unwilling to let him dwell too long on one answer. "Hey, you still have one question left."

"Alright." He released her, hopping back a step and putting up one finger to beg her patience. Intrigued, she watched as he moved to the nearest Gazebo post and proceeded to pull a single pink rose from the entwined branches around it. He turned back to her, rose in hand. "Do you, Princeton Girl," there was a hesitance in his voice that hadn't been there since he'd asked if she'd been disappointed with his identity and he seemed to pick his words with care. He searched her eyes – and continued with careful deliberation. "Feel like you made the right choice – in meeting me here tonight?"

Was he joking? He looked so serious, she was tempted to joke, but it wasn't in her nature to be cruel – and he looked so... desperate for her to say yes, she considered her words carefully, her gaze dropping to where his fingers caressed the stem of the fake pink rose. Lifting her gaze back to his, his nervous action more telling than any words, she half nodded and smiled. "I do."

He smiled, his eyes practically sparkling as he offered her the rose – and Sam knew her moment had come. It was now or never; if he never wanted to see her again, he'd never know who she was. "And... do you, Austin Ames, ever want to see me again after tonight?"

There was a twinkle in his gaze. "Well..." he hedged, teasing her as he looked away. "I'd have to think about that."

Knowing the tease for what it was, _seeing_ it in every line of his posture and the tilt of his head, she waited. By now he'd have made up his mind. Nomad and Austin shared many traits, among them their decisive natures. When he made a choice, he tended to see it through – at least, it seemed that way. Was this choice the one she wanted or would he prefer to keep them separate, as cyber pals only?

His gaze came back to hers and all of the teasing left it as he responded with total sincerity. "Absolutely."

There was nothing she could say to that, so Sam didn't even try. Instead, she tilted her head towards his, hoping he couldn't read how nervous she was in her gaze, and clutched the flower in one hand. Austin's lifted to her face, correctly interpreting what she hoped he would see. That little half smile of his made her heart flip flop in her chest again and Sam considered for a moment the wisdom of what she was allowing.

By removing her mask, by allowing Austin to know her, _really_ know her, was she opening herself up to heart break? The feel of his finger tips as he lifted the bottom of the mask away from her face brought color to her cheeks. Her eyes remained locked on his as he slowly, ever so slowly, pulled the mask out and then up and away, exposing her to him for the first time. Swallowing hard, she stared at him, waiting for the moment when he would recognize her.

Yet... he didn't.

Confusion clouded his features as his hands fell away. "I... still don't recognize you."

"There's no reason you should when I'm dressed like this," Sam informed him, stung. Turning away, she fought the press of tears at the back of her eyes, knowing if she gave in she'd not only ruin her makeup but the illusion of poised princess. Not that it mattered anymore. Taking a deep breath, she managed to control the hurt; why _would_ Austin recognize her without her trademark ball cap or waitress apron? If ever she'd felt out of place in her own skin – it was now. She couldn't look at him, but Austin wasn't one to give up easily.

"What's wrong?"

She laughed shortly, not looking at him as she reached out to retrieve her mask. "Wrong? I wore this mask so no one would recognize me; why should I have bothered? Nobody actually _sees_ me anyway; no one would believe that _I_ could _ever_ look like this."

Tears, to her horror, pooled in her eyes and glittered on her lashes. Austin reached for her, but Sam side stepped. It didn't help he was between her and the gazebo entrance. He didn't let her go this time. Instead he followed, corralling her near one side. Sam stared out across the beautiful lawn, wondering why she'd ever thought Austin would recognize _her_ just by losing the mask. She jerked as the tips of his fingers touched her chin, turning her face back towards his – and in her surprise, she let him.

"I know you, though; you're very familiar."

No kidding; she'd only seen him every day of the school year for the last two years – a bonus of graduating early she suspected. "Try picturing me in another context."

"What kind of context?"

"With a baseball and bat in hand, maybe?"

"Baseball and..." he trailed off, looking at her hard – and recognition shone suddenly in the depths of his gaze. "You're Carter's friend...Sam?"

She held her arms wide, out to the sides, but couldn't smile. "Rhonda has a knack for taking something plain and turning it into something it's not."

Austin didn't move, staring down at her as if seeing her for the first time. "I... wow."

He looked as if he'd taken a hit below the belt, trying to reconcile the image he knew with the vision before him - and Sam couldn't help it; she giggled. "That's what Carter said the first time he saw me done up like this too."

"Not me."

"No?"

Austin shook his head, reaching out to take one curl of her hair and wrap it around his index finger. "I was speechless; just ask Ryan and David. I couldn't have put together a coherent sentence when you appeared at the top of that staircase."

"I don't think I'll be asking your friends_ anything_ any time soon."

"Why not?"

Her alarm went off at that moment and Sam groaned softly. "Not now."

"What?"

"I've gotta go."

"What, do you have a curfew or something?"

"Or something." Stepping back, Sam looked for a place to put the rose she'd been holding in one hand so she could put her mask back on. In doing so, she stepped to the side - towards the gazebo entrance - and placed it on the side rail. She was slipping the mask back over her hair and face, careful not to smudge either one, when Austin's next question caught her off guard.

"Will you be online later?"

Looking up abruptly, she stared at him surprised, the mask landing askew on her face. He reached out to adjust it for her, freeing a couple of tendrils about her face with gentle motions.

"Do... you want me to be online later?"

He half smiled. "Unless you're determined to keep away from me now, I'd still like to see you again."

"I... I've gotta go." With a shake of her head, Sam realized what was happening and smiled apologetically, sweeping the rose back up as she exited the gazebo. "Thank you for an amazing night, Austin."

"Wait!"

She paused, looking back as she was about to break into a run.

"Can I... drive you wherever you need to be?"

"You want to take me?"

He nodded.

Sam winced, looking away undecided. He knew who she was and Nomad knew about Fiona, just not by name. Austin would eventually remember that Sam Montgomery was also the girl his friends called 'Diner girl' on a daily basis. Still, it would be better if he found out from her and not them. Decided, she nodded, cocking her head at him challengingly. "Can you get me there before midnight?"

"Sure, Cinderella," his tease was gentle as he joined her on the pathway. "Anywhere in the valley."

"I'm going to test that theory, Austin Ames."

"I hope you test that and more, Sam. Much more."

She laughed, taking off at a run, Austin at her side. "Careful what you wish for."

_fin_


	3. Late for Reality

**Vig #3 – Late for Reality**

Fiona's car was already in the parking lot _Fiona's_ when Carter pulled up with Sam at five minutes past midnight, the staff getting a stern talking to and an obvious tongue lashing from Fiona. Gabriella and Brianna simply looked smug in their dual cat suit. Sam grabbed her bag out of the back of Carter's car and, to her friend's surprise, proceeded to change in the front seat of his dad's Mercedes.

"Sam, what are you _doing_?"

"If I go in there like this, Gabriella and Brianna are going to know it was me at the dance."

"You can't change _here_!" Carter looked towards the diner. "What about if I just take you home and you can change there?"

"I can't, Fiona's already going to kill me for not being here when she got here; what am I going to tell her?"

"The truth?"

"Sure, right. Be serious, Carter; if Fiona finds out I was at the dance, say good bye to any hope for tuition for Princeton. I'll be lucky if I'm working anything less than double shifts from not until the end of the school year."

"Here." Carter reached into the back seat and pulled his cape out, draping it across her shoulders. "You could try and sneak in."

"And go where? She was coming out of the kitchen when we got here; she's obviously looked everywhere. I was supposed to be mopping the floors tonight and I'm not."

Carter kept his eyes on the diner and Fiona as Sam struggled to put her jeans and shirt on under the dress. Struggling was too tame a word for her fight.

"Carter... could you get the fasteners? I can't... reach…"

Lifting up the cape, Carter kept his eyes on the diner as he quickly unzipped the dress and then withdrew his hands as if burned. "_Never_ ask me to do anything like that again, Sam," he hissed, embarrassed.

"This from the guy who was just making out with Shelby Cummings?"

"You're _not_ Shelby – no offence."

"None taken," Sam disappeared under the cape, Fiona's dressing down of the staff reaching a pitch that was audible, but garbled, through the glass. "If I were Shelby, I'd have to shoot myself – no offence."

"None taken."

Sam grunted, shoving the cape and dress off over her head as she slid into her t-shirt. The dress landed in the backseat as she angled her hips and quickly buttons her jeans, aware that Carter was making a point of keeping his eyes anywhere but on her; her best friend was a doll. Tucking the dress behind the seat, Sam dug her ball cap out from under the seat and then tilted Carter's review mirror – earning an indignant "Hey!" from her friend – and tucked her curled hair up under the cap.

"Thank Carter; I'll let you know if you need to write my eulogy. Make sure Rhonda gets the dress back, kay?" Jumping out of the car before he could reply, Sam stayed low and darted around the edge of the building. Fiona's car was parked next to the door, just out of their view, and Sam took a moment to dive in, reaching for the ash tray where Fiona kept a dozen sets of earrings. Snagging a set, she closed the door carefully before slinking around to where the dumpster was kept.

Bracing herself for what she was about to do, Sam opened the top and jumped in. She spent the next minute practically rolling in the garbage and tearing bags. Rotten fish was a smell that permeated everything and she just about lost what little she'd been able to eat before the big costume hunt.

Less than thirty seconds later, with the earring dripping rotten salmon, Sam opened the back door to the diner, ready to face the war zone, Fiona's voice radiating displeasure.

"And when I'm through, I'm going to break every bone in her body and _not_-"

"Who's body?"

"Sam!" Fiona turned, startled – and took a step back. Sam's plan had the desired effect as Fiona and the Siamese cat that was her twin daughters caught a whiff of her. "You were supposed to be mopping the floors."

"I know," Sam glanced at her step sisters, knowing neither of them would come near her when she smelled this bad. "But I borrowed a pair of your earrings and one fell in the garbage and I knew you wouldn't appreciate it if they just went missing so..." holding up the small plain hoop – probably the plainest pair Fiona owned – she smiled what she hoped was a meek smile. "I found it?"

Fiona glared at her step daughter, obviously not buying it for a moment. "You'll be pulling double shifts from now until Friday at half pay for that, Sam."

Sam winced. Ouch. Double shifts with half the pay? That was going to play hell with her school work and her plan for Princeton; and she wouldn't have time to chat with Austin. Having dropped her cell phone, and it being who knew where, she couldn't even tell him.

"And no more driving; you'll take the bus or find another way to work all week."

"But Fiona-!" _That_ was overboard, Sam looked from Fiona to her step sisters and then to Rhonda. "I was here as you said I should be!"

"It will teach you to take my things without asking."

"How will I do your – _my_ errands without the car?" Sam hated to ask the question, but it was about the only argument that would keep her wheels on the road. "I can't pick up your dry cleaning, get you more salmon and make work if I can't drive; they're all over the valley!"

Fiona stopped and tapped her finger against her lips, obviously considering what Sam was saying. "You'll just have to find a way to make it work."

"Mother, Sam won't be able to make dinner if she can't drive home from the diner."

The unexpected help came from Brianna, and all eyes turned to the taller of the twins in surprise; she'd said something that not only made sense, but was _intelligent_.

"Keep the car," Fiona conceded, "It just means double shifts at half pay for two weeks instead of one. Come on girls."

Sam slumped against the counter as her step mother swept out, bracing her elbows on her knees and dropping her head to her hands; she should have just owned up to going to the dance - it wouldn't have been nearly as painful as her punishment. Still... it had been worth it.

"Sam." Rhonda settled next to her. "Honey, you need a shower."

"I know." Looking up as Fiona drove away, Sam sighed dejectedly. "It was all I could think of."

"It worked."

"She didn't fire anyone, did she?"

"Ha!" Rhonda found a smile for her young friend. "If she tried, we'd be losing customers. How was the dance?"

A shy smile crept across Sam's features. "Magical."

_fin_


	4. Following Zorro

**Vig #4 – Following Zorro**

After his 'crowning' as Homecoming Prince, Austin Ames slipped away from his friends and admirers, his mind firmly focused on the young beauty who had just spent the most engaging forty five minutes of the Homecoming dance entrancing him with her smile, her laugh and her wit. Princeton Girl was everything – _more_ – than he'd expected her to be.

She was quick on the uptake, just like in her chats, charming, had the cutest little smile with a dimple in one corner and, while her beauty had held him enthralled, it had been her conversation that had ensnared him. He'd been waiting, _yearning_, to hear her laugh for weeks and the joy of it had undone him.

Whoever she was, she knew him though. She knew him as both footballer and Nomad; and she hadn't been put off. In fact, if her blasted alarm hadn't gone off – if she hadn't had a curfew – he suspected he would have discovered her identity. Not just discovered it, but been able to steal the kiss he'd been thinking about since laying eyes on her.

Slipping away from the Homecoming party, and smiling faintly when he heard the dismayed cries once his escape had been noted, he headed back to the gazebo where he'd danced with his Cinderella. Cinderella - with a cell phone for a glass slipper. Alone, he pulled the phone from his pocket and opened it to find it locked, no big surprise with how smart Princeton Girl was. Turning the cell over in his hands, he brushed his fingers across the star pattern on either side, remember what it was to touch her hand, to feel the heat of her skin under his own.

She'd been as shy as he'd expected, he mused. Shy and unsure in a lot of ways, but outspoken in others; a mixture of confidence, maturity and innocence. He'd never, ever been as captivated by a woman before.

But _who_ was she?

He considered what he'd seen through the night; she's arrived, spot light, and descended the staircase as if she'd owned it. Zorro, whomever Zorro was, had met her at the bottom and escorted her out to the center of the dance floor – then left her alone. Had Zorro been her escort, aware of her intention to meet him? Was his ticket to finding his Cinderella locating Zorro first? Not that it would help, he didn't know who Zorro was either.

With a shake of his head, Austin leaned against one pillar of the gazebo, tilting his head to the sky to stare at the stars. Or rather, where the stars _should_ have been. The moon, not yet sunk, hung above him as if mocking his inactivity, his inability to trace the young woman who'd been plaguing his thoughts since the beginning of the school year.

Would she tell him who she was now that they'd met – could he leave that to her and only her without looking for her?

Austin Ames, football captain and student body president couldn't leave it as it was. Even the poet inside him recognized the poetic justice of having met such a spectacular woman who was both intelligent and beautiful – and one he'd seen in real life but didn't recognize now. Pulling a second fake rose – for Princeton Girl had take the first with her, to his delight – from the gazebo, he twirled it in front of him, again considering how he could track her down.

Zorro kept featuring in his thoughts. Zorro waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase; Zorro escorting her out to the middle of the dance floor; Zorro entering Fiona's diner; Zorro helping Cinderella flee from the- wait... _Fiona's_ diner?

Austin's feet were moving before he'd consciously thought of his destination. Had Zorro appeared at the diner in full garb – whomever he was – to pick up Princeton Girl? Was that possible? Impossible was more like it; the girl who'd met Austin tonight wouldn't have been able to hide among the patrons in her gown and mask. Had Zorro just been showing off, or there to ensure Princeton Girl actually got into costume on time? Or had it just been a case of munchies?

All of it, strange as it seemed, appeared to be intertwined and – for lack of a better starting point – Austin figured he'd head to the diner. It was unlikely Zorro or Princeton Girl would be there, but he had to try.

As his feet hit the pavement, Austin pulled his keys from his pants pocket and hit the unlock command. His buddies were expecting him to give them a ride home, but they'd understand why he was leaving. Both of them loved pretty girls – and both had been as enthralled as he when Princeton Girl had entered. For Austin to go after her was something both of them would have begged to be along to bear witness to.

Except he didn't want any witnesses; Princeton Girl had been reluctant enough about her identity with just him, he was beginning to suspect she was someone he didn't normally affiliate with.

Hopping behind the wheel, he peeled away, checking the clock. It had been thirty minutes since his Princess had disappeared; thirty minutes since she'd just about allowed him to unmask her; thirty minutes since she'd left him yearning for more of her company. Thirty minutes too long.

Peeling away, he hit the streets and headed back to _Fiona's_ diner. It took no time at all to drive the distance and, as he pulled into the parking lot, he took stock of the scene out front. Cop cars were pulling away from a smashed Mercedes, the sign for _Fiona's_ having fallen on the roof and mangled it. Tow trucks and other equipment had been connected and, low and behold, a young man he vaguely recognized from school stood to the side looking as if he'd just lost his best friend.

Except this young man was dressed in the cape, pants and shirt of one Zorro right down to the mustache; minus the Mask and hat, he didn't look quite as mysterious, but Austin couldn't place him. But if 'Zorro' were here... could Princeton Girl be nearby as well?

Pulling into the diner's parking lot, Austin noted that 'Zorro' didn't take his eyes from the mangled car. Inside the diner, they were just turning out the lights; night cleanup crew? Did his Princess work at the diner, was that why she'd had to go so suddenly? Parking his car so he could see both the service entrance around the side and the main doors, he turned off the engine off and sat, watching, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel.

His gaze went back to where 'Zorro' was watching the recovery crews pulling the sign off the smashed car, and Austin swore he could see the boy crying; his father's car? He winced. Ouch; if he'd ever done something that to _his_ dad's car, he'd have been grounded for months – or worse.

Movement out of the corner of his eye brought his gaze back to the diner's rear staff entrance; the lights had been turned down and the staff were leaving. The chef left with one of the waitresses Austin recognized. Then Rhonda, a practical _fixture_ at _Fiona's_ stepped out, and did something Austin wasn't expecting; she searched the parking lot. It took a couple of minutes and she looked his way once, but seemed to dismiss him off hand. Then, to his surprise, Rhonda turned back to the staff entrance and beckoned – and there she was.

Mask-less, with a coat thrown about her shoulders hiding the top of her dress but not the full skirt he would have recognized anywhere, as his Cinderella.

Beside Rhonda, she made her way to where 'Zorro' was standing, watching the tow truck hook up the wreck. Dim lights preventing him from getting a good look at her, but Austin recognized not just the dress. It was the way she tilted her face, her body language as she spoke with Rhonda and 'Zorro' – and that hairdo. Wilted, slightly less curly and flatten in places, there was no mistaking to whom that head of hair belonged.

Having found her, Austin was at a loss for what to do next.

Return her cell phone? Without it, she couldn't message him before school or after but that was a purely selfish motive. Not that tracking her down wasn't, but he'd never be able to sleep tonight without knowing who she was. Opening his car door, and forgetting for a moment he was still dressed like 'Prince Charming', Austin took a deep, bracing breath, and began walking across the parking lot.

'Zorro' was looking up at Princeton Girl and Austin knew when he'd been seen because the other boy's eyes widened almost comically and he stopped mid-sentence.

"Carter, what are you-"

Princeton Girl and Rhonda both followed Carter's line of sight, his Princess' question sounding familiar - and when she turned, the light touching her face, the pieces all fell into place. Why Zorro had been at the diner; his mystery girl with the 'evil' step mother; why he hadn't recognized her when she'd walked into the dance; why she was coming out of the _service_ entrance at the back of the diner; why she knew Zorro and knew him well - Carter Ferrell didn't hang out with any girls, except...

"Hello, Sam."

"Austin!" The color drained from her cheeks as she met his gaze, taking a step back. "What are you... how-?"

Austin watched as her gaze darted from him to Rhonda and then Carter – and back. She looked mortified and he couldn't understand why. Determined to put her at ease, he reached into his pocket and palmed her cell phone. Heedless of the looks he knew Rhonda and Carter were going to give him, he bowed, much as he had when asking her to dance, and extended his hand to her, palm up, the cell phone resting in the center.

"I believe this belongs to you."

Sam's gaze flew to her phone and she reached out as if to take it before pausing, her fingers inches away from his as her eyes lifted to his once more. "Austin, I-"

He straightened slowly, glancing at Rhonda and Carter before looking at her once again. Stepping forward, he slid is finger tips under hers and the phone into her hand. Ignoring their audience, he brought his other hand around and closed her fingers over the cell phone. Choosing his words carefully, he searched her gaze to ensure she could _see_ his sincerity without releasing her hand. "I don't care, Sam."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't care," brushing his thumb over the back of her hand, he smiled a little half smile. "I asked you if you were disappointed I was Nomad, so I'm telling _you_ I'm not disappointed that you're Princeton Girl."

"You don't even know me."

"Wrong," he stepped closer, ignoring the fact that this wasn't the first time in the last couple of hours that he'd had to convince _her_ that he wasn't who she thought. Considering who she was, he wasn't that surprised anymore of her initial reaction. Sam was probably the _only_ girl at school who wouldn't have been delighted he was her mysterious chat buddy. "But only if you won't give me the chance to prove it."

Sam glanced at Rhonda and Carter again only to find they'd backed off, paying more attention to Carter's ruined Mercedes than them and letting her and Austin have a moment alone. She tugged on her hand, but Austin didn't release it. "I asked you earlier tonight to give me a chance to be the guy I wanna be; please, Sam?"

"You're mister popularity, Austin and I'm... I'm not."

"I don't care."

"Other people will."

"So?"

"So? People see who you hang out with Austin; if you started hanging out with me all of a sudden, they'd wonder why. Everyone knows I'm not good enough for you."

"Everyone's wrong." She blushed, and his heart swelled in his chest. "I mean it; now that I know who you are, I can't just want to sit and talk to you through e-mail – it won't be enough."

Sam bit her lip, obviously torn. "Then... umm, why don't we start small? I work here every day, usually the afternoon shift. If it's quiet, we can talk on my break? If it doesn't work, the kids at school will never need to know."

"I'll take what I can get," he conceded for the second time that night, knowing Sam would never give more than she was able or comfortable with. "Are you working tomorrow?"

"It's Saturday; Fiona would never give me a Saturday off."

"When's your shift start?"

"Nine."

"I'll be waiting."Austin lifted her hand to his lips, brushing them across the back of her fingers while never breaking the eye contact. "Sweet dreams, Sam."

As he walked away from her shocked expression, Rhonda's voice drifted to him.

"Oh wee! You must have made _some_ impression, Sam."

Some impression was right.

_fin_


	5. Confession

**Vig #5 – Confession**

Sam entered her room with a sigh, putting up the 'Do Not Disturb" sign on the door before closing it and dropping her book bag on the end of her bed. Nothing from Princeton yet; any day now she should be getting the news as to if she'd been accepted or not and each day she waited made her all the more nervous. She wondered if Nomad – _Austin_, she mentally corrected, had gotten his yet.

No harm in asking right, it wasn't like he knew who she was; if he did, he would certainly have said something and wouldn't have been putting up those yellow flyers at every opportunity to track her. Much as she hated to admit it, but with the loss of her cell phone at the dance, she'd almost gone through with drawl over the weekend without being able to talk to him – or anyone else for that matter.

Fiona had ensure she'd gone to work early for opening and, like normal when Fiona was in a tiff, ensured she worked until close. Sam was sure there were laws against it, but she needed the money for her College fund. So, after not talking to Nomad – _Austin_ – all weekend, walking into school and finding his flyers _everywhere_ and not being recognized when they'd passed one another in the hallway she didn't know what to think. He obviously hadn't forgotten about her, but what would he say?

Chewing on her lip for a moment, and knowing her step sisters were out of the house sucking up to Shelby for another half an hour yet, maybe longer if they would weasel their way into a gossip fest. And the topic of that gossip? The identity of Austin's Princess; the irony of being the girl no one noticed on a daily basis wasn't lost on Sam.

Dropping down to her computer, she booted it up knowing she should work on her homework first, but – after that school day – needing to talk to No- Austin. Wow, did that ever ring funny in her thoughts. No one, except Carter, would ever have believed her if she'd said it aloud. Loading up her AOL chat, she logged in – and was surprised to find Nomad609 waiting for her.

**Nomad609:** Where have you been?

**PrincetonGirl818:** Working and school.

**PrincetonGirl818: **I got roped into triple shifts this weekend - it's a new form of exhaustion not even I had heard of.

**Nomad609: **You haven't been avoiding me, have you?

**PrincetonGirl818:** Why would I do that?

**PrincetonGirl818: **You know you're the only sanity in my life.

**Nomad609:** Because of the dance the other night.

**Nomad609:** You never did tell me who you are.

Sam chewed her lip, staring at that sentence and well able to hear the frustration in those words. If she'd met him an hadn't known his identity, she'd have been frustrated after a weekend of silence too.

**Nomad609:** I need to know who you are?

**Nomad609:** I can't take my mind off you.

**Nomad609:** Please tell me who you are.

Twisting her hands together inside the sleeves of her shirt, Sam felt her resolve weakening. Austin deserved to know who his chat partner was; but could he accept her? Accepting that Nomad was Austin – or however it worked – wasn't a stretch. What girl wouldn't be delighted to find out she'd been having meaningful conversations with the school's Mr. Popularity?

Still...

Taking a deep breath, Sam made up her mind. Austin deserved to know and his reaction would be easier to bear over their chat link than in person. If he reacted in any way like Shelby had to Carter's admission that he was Zorro, at least she had the privacy of her own room to bear the humiliation of his rejection.

**PrincetonGirl818:** I told you once I wanted you to know who I am, but that I was scared you'd reject me.

**Nomad609:** I remember.

**Nomad609:** I'm not as shallow as you seem to think.

**PrincetonGirl818:** I guess I'm about to find out.

**Nomad609:** Does that mean you'll tell me?

**PrincetonGirl818:** Yeah…

**PrincetonGirl818:** My name is Sam

To her surprise, Nomad had an answer for her almost immediately.

**Nomad609:** Sam - short for Samantha?

So far so good; he hadn't completely freaked out yet.

**PrincetonGirl818:** Yeah.

**PrincetonGirl818:** But everyone just calls me Sam

**Nomad609:** Did you know that Samantha means 'Listener'.

**PrincetonGir818:** I didn't know that

**Nomad609:** It suits you.

**PrincetonGir818:** Thanks.

**Nomad609: **Now that I know your name, will you tell me where I know you from?

"Sam!"

Sam's fingers fell away from the keyboard as she sighed in irritation. Austin hadn't yet put her name together with the girl his friends called 'Diner Girl' and she wanted to be here when he did. He was sure to have questions. "I guess you missed the do not disturb sign."

"No, I saw it." Brianna leaned in the doorway behind her – Sam hadn't heard their cars pull up. "Are you almost done my report? It's due Friday?"

"I'm working on it."

"Well hurry up. It makes me nervous to have to wait for it."

Rubbing her forehead, Sam wished she dared tell her step sister to do it herself and instead settled for the only revenge she could. All she wanted was to be left alone so she could talk to Austin – and the irony of that didn't escape her either. "Imagine how nervous you'd be if you actually had to write it."

"My God, you're right!"

Wishing her step sister away was having no effect and Sam knew she couldn't very well just tell her to leave. Brianna would just tell Fiona and there'd be trouble.

**Nomad609:** Sam?

Sam wished she could respond, but Brianna wasn't done and she heard her bed springs creek as the taller girl settled in, as if for a sister-to-sister chat but in reality it was just a bitch fest.

"So, this time could you try and make it sound more like me? I mean, I'm so sick and tired of trying to explain why I sound _so_ smart on paper and so not smart... not on paper."

Rolling her eyes, desperate to get rid of her step-sister, Sam was about willing to agree to anything – except Fiona chose that moment to jump in and the monitor squawked with her Step-mother's voice.

"_Sam? Can you come downstairs?"_

Responding – because she knew if she didn't Fiona would never stop calling – Sam clicked the call button. "I'll be right there."

"_NOW!"_

There was no escaping the order in that tone. Closing down the chat window, Sam left the computer running, having every intention of being back in just one minute. Meeting Brianna's gaze as she left her room, she informed her of just that. "I'll be right back."

With an almost sadistic grin, Brianna buffed her nails on her shirt. "Hurry up."

Ignoring that smug tone, Samantha headed downstairs, never for once imagining that her step-sister would be bright enough or nosy enough to snoop through her e-mails; later, she'd learn she was wrong.

_fin_


	6. Diner Girl Revealed

**Vig #6 – Diner Girl Revealed**

Sam had just finished clearing away the tables during a down turn in the diner's normally busy evening, still stewing over the problem of Austin looking for Cinderella, and turned to the counters to arrange them for the next rush when the door opening brought her head up.

Momentary panic seized her and her hands stilled for a fraction of a second before finishing her task; Austin had just walked in. Not just walked in, but walked in looking frustrated and dejected, tension written through every line of his posture. Wiping down the counter before sliding back, and praying he wouldn't notice her, she looked Rhonda's way for help as Austin settled at the bar.

Rhonda arched her eyebrows, not understanding and a quick look Austin's way showed he was absorbed by a nearby pepper shaker. Mouthing "it's him" at Rhonda, she pointed discreetly Austin's way – and never should have. The crew at the diner ganged up on her, not giving an inch and did everything they silently could to indicate she was going to help Austin and that was nice.

Taking a deep breath, she collected the prerequisite order pad and pen and skated over to stand in front of him. Would he recognize her voice when she talked to him? Licking her lips so she didn't squeak when she spoke, she tilted her head, trying to meet his gaze and forced a happy tone.

"Hey."

He didn't lift his head to look at her, in fact didn't even seem to be aware that she was there. Forging ahead, because she knew Rhonda would step in if she didn't, Sam tried again.

"Can I get you something?"

Austin's gaze remained on the pepper shaker, but she could see the muscle in his jaw twitch and his face tighten as if he were debating saying something. She recognized that expression from the dance when he'd been trying to explain why she should give him a chance – except this lacked desperation and reeked of irritation.

Sam was debating trying again when he suddenly looked up, meeting her gaze, and his angry question caught her completely off guard.

"Do you know what _bugs_ me?"

Was that some kind of a trick question? She knew him as Nomad, not as Austin – how was she supposed to know what bothered him? For half a seconds she thought about pulling on her knowledge of his alter self, but couldn't. the idea of him knowing that she was his Cinderella was just too intimidating no matter what she'd promised Carter. Austin Ames was out of her league and she knew it. Instead, she settled for the obvious, and projected a note of confusion that wasn't all faked into her voice.

"People... taking your order?"

"No," he asserted, never breaking that eye contact, seeming to hesitate before continuing. "Taking people's orders."

It sounded eerily like one of the conversations she's had with Nomad – except this was Austin sitting in front of her _talking_ - not typing at the other end of an internet connection. Still, he didn't know who she was, so once again she asked the most obvious of questions.

"Why would _you_ do that?"

"Heh," he rolled his eyes, probably thinking she, like everyone else on campus, was taking him at face value; but then, he might not even know she went to his school. He'd never talked to her, _noticed_ her before now. "You don't know my dad."

A shiver skated down Sam's spine; it had been a constant thread in conversation for weeks. Just last night he'd sent her an e-mail about needing to see her again - to talk to her because she was the only one who understood him and his desires to be at Princeton with her and not at USC playing football. She hadn't been lying when she'd sent him her response; of being terrified of his rejection.

It was as true at that moment as it had been since his identity had been revealed.

Austin snagged one of the menus, taking a quick look and made a soft sound of disgust, unaware of her inner turmoil. "Ugh, Sushi and Donuts? Who does that?"

Sam shrugged; Fiona's idea of 'diner fare' wasn't exactly typical and she wasn't about to defend it even if she had to serve it.

He laughed softly, putting the menu back. "I'll take a coffee, thank you."

Doing her job, she proceeded to do just that – and Austin, surprisingly, kept talking. "Do you ever feel like, if you show someone who you really are, they won't accept you?"

_All the time, especially now._ Taking the opening for what it was, she answered him honestly. "Yeah, I do." Pouring his coffee, she kept glancing up to see if he'd look at her – but he didn't. "Like... being yourself isn't good enough."

He smiled then as she put the coffee away, making eye contact briefly as he stirred sugar into his coffee and Sam could see the lines of tension melting away as he found a kindred spirit. "Right."

"Like..." she leaned in fractionally closer, testing the waters. "You're wearing a mask."

_That_ comment got his attention. He looked up from his coffee again, as if seeing her for the first time, and she could see the surprise in his gaze, the astonishment that she'd nailed what he was feeling. Which, to be honest with herself, Sam knew she hadn't been talking about him, but her; but his response was encouraging.

"That's exactly how I feel."

This time he didn't look away and Sam saw the vestiges of her chat partner coming to the forefront. Gone was the jock, Mr. Popular, and in his place sat Nomad – the sensitive, caring guy who'd been exchanging e-mails with her for weeks. A small smile crept onto her face as courage seemed to filter through her veins and she continued, keeping her gaze locked on his.

"You just wanna be honest with this person and tell them it's me. I'm the one you've been looking for."

"Yeah."

He smiled, seeming to be completely captivated by her insight and that was the last boost her confidence required; he hadn't ridiculed her or made fun of her. Maybe, just maybe he could accept who she was. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage about her.

"Austin...", searching his gaze for any hint of recognition and finding none, she forged ahead. "I'm Cinderella."

He stared at her, showing no initial reaction as Sam felt him searching her features for _something_. The uncomfortable feeling of being analyzed was quickly taking its toll and she shifted nervously. Then, to her surprise, Austin said something completely unexpected.

"You too, huh?"

"Excuse me?"

He placed his coffee back on the counter with a shake of his head. "I've already dealt with your sisters today. What is it, a family thing?"

"No, I-"

"First David and Ryan at school with their ridiculous 'Princess Search'; then your sisters at the carwash this afternoon - and now you."

"Austin, I'm not-"

"No," he held up his hands, making to leave as he dug some money from his pocket. "No, I've had enough for one day."

"You're the one who coined Cinderella," she told him as he made to leave. "I never asked for this, for any of it! If you hadn't asked me to meet you at the Homecoming dance, none of this would have happened."

Austin stopped, two paces away, and slowly turned to look at her condescendingly. "Fine, I'll ask you the same question I asked your sisters."

"Step-sisters." She corrected, choked.

"Whatever. The girl I was with at the dance dropped something on the way out; what was it?"

_He had her cell phone!_ "My cell phone."

"_SAM!"_

Sam turned to look at Fiona's demanding tone, missing the shocked expression that crossed Austin's face. "One second."

"No – _Now_!"

Sam exhaled, not daring to look Austin's way as she made to do as Fiona bid. Austin reached across the counter, catching her by the arm and drawing her gaze back to his. "Sam, wait-"

"I've gotta go."

"_SAM!"_

Fiona's sharp command was unmistakable and she didn't dare doddle. Pulling her arm out of his grasp and ignoring the flash of hurt across his face, Sam skated away, ignoring the way he called her name as she headed for Fiona. Tears threatened to fall, pooling in her eyes, but she refused to cry. Austin knew who she was now and where to find her – and she was forced to swallow the sting of his disbelief and initial scorn as if they didn't matter.

Later, when she got home, she'd break down. For now, she had to deal with Fiona.

_fin_


	7. Pep Rally Redo

**Vig #7 – Pep Rally Re-do**

"The Cheerleaders have put together a little skit to help get us in the spirit."

As the coach relinquished the microphone to Shelby, Austin resettled himself fin his seat, feeling trapped. Here he was, the whole school expecting him to lead them to victory on Friday, and all he could think about was how much he _hated_ the pressure. How much he despised the necessity of pretending football was the most important thing in his life – how much he wished he could simply turn in his seat and tell his father to forget it.

But Austin Ames was a coward in some respects and doing what _wasn't_ expected of him by his dad was one of them.

As the Cheerleaders set up on stage, he clapped along with everyone else, pretending to enjoy what was happening because that was what his father, his teammates and his school expected of him. Shelby's opening line caught his attention-

"Once upon a time, there was a big, strong fighting frog."

- and held it when a girl, dressed in a green shirt with his number emblazoned on the front hopped from behind the curtain and up onto the backs of two of the cheerleaders. The laughter around him went unnoticed and Shelby's gaze refused to meet his, sliding instead across the crowd with an almost impish smile. Impish on Shelby, however, had never been a good sign.

"He had a beautiful girlfriend," continued Shelby, "and his dad owned the biggest pond in all the land."

This time the laughter was unmistakable and his own father, guessing that the girl wearing the #2 was supposed on be him, got a good kick out of it. For a fraction of a second he figured things weren't going to be as bad as they seemed. Shelby's next comment, paired with the almost whimsical way she said it, however, made Austin's blood run cold.

"But, he still wasn't happy."

The Cheerleaders opposite Shelby held up cue cards and the whole audience "aww"ed. A sinking suspicion formed as another girl was brought on stage wearing a Princess dress. As Shelby continued, her gaze dropped to his, and there was malice in those eyes.

"If only he could find a princess, who could kiss him and turn him into a prince, and they would run away together."

"One night-" the mirth around him lodged in his chest as Shelby held his gaze for a long second and suddenly, with clarity, Austin _knew_ this was revenge. Revenge for breaking up with her. Shelby intended to humiliate him in front of as much of the student body as he could. Who else would be the target when no one even knew who his Princess had been?

"-after the _slimy_ frog ditches his super cute senior poll most popular girlfriend...he meets his princess."

The girl wearing his uniform and number bowed to the other. "Your highness!"

Enough was enough – while willing to bear the brunt of a _personal_ attack, he wasn't willing to sit there and be humiliated in front of a crowd. With the teachers seeming to think that this was about 'school spirit' he knew if he didn't do something and fast, things were about to get ugly. Incensed that Shelby could be so deliberately cruel, Austin was on his feet and on stage in seconds, tearing the microphone, note cards and papers from her hands. Papers littered the stage as he confronted his ex.

"This is a new low, even for you, Shelby."

"_Austin!"_

"This isn't school spirit," Austin shot back over his shoulder, his gaze firmly locked on Shelby's. "This is revenge, dad; I broke up with Shelby before the Homecoming Dance and this is her way of getting back at me. It's not funny and it's not-"

"About you," Shelby informed him pointedly. "Not everything's about _you_, Austin."

"No? Would you have done this if we'd been together?"

Shelby glanced around, well aware that they were having a personal fight in a very public place – and that _everyone_ seemed interested in what they had to say. "If you hadn't ditched me for that... that no good lower class, boyfriend stealing -"

"_Boyfriend stealing_?" Austin looked at Shelby as if seeing her for the first time. "It was _my_ choice to breakup with you, Shelby. _Mine_ and no one else's."

"All she ever wanted was to steal _you_ away from _me_, Austin. You're out of her league - she doesn't deserve you!"

"Uh, bro, you might want to take this-"

"No," Austin cut Ryan off with a slash of one hand. Shelby had wanted humiliation; she was going to get it. "Shelby seems to think that there was something going on."

"There _was_." She cried, pointing at him accusingly. "You were _cheating_ on me, planning to leave me all because that tramp convinced you to."

His heart lurched in his chest. Did Shelby know who Princeton Girl was? Had he been wrong – that this wasn't about him, but instead about the girl he'd been chatting with?

"Maybe," he told her softly, so no one else could hear. "If you'd listened months ago when I said I was having seconds thoughts about us, or done _anything_ to convince me you're more than the shallow, self absorbed person you are, you might have clued in before now, Shelby."

"The joke's on you, Austin Ames," Shelby informed him harshly, lifting her hand as if to point someone out. "Your princess isn't a princes at all, she's-"

"A better person than you'll ever be," Austin snapped before Shelby could give any more away, and pushing her hand down and away. "And when she's ready for me to know who she is, she'll tell me. The last person I want to learn it from it _you_."

Her eyes flared and behind Austin the teachers stood up, waving at the students to disperse, calling a close to the Pep Rally. Austin noted it mostly in the way Shelby's gaze darted somewhere behind him and he stepped between her and whomever she was looking at.

"Try it, Shelby, and you'll find your secrets aired like dirty laundry for the rest of the school year."

"You two deserve each other," Shelby hissed maliciously, "One to air the laundry and the other to do it!" Turning on her heel, she stormed away. Austin watched her go, collecting the rest of the cheerleading squad as she did and taking the two girls who had been dressed as him and Princeton Girl away with them.

Shaking his head, he turned to find very few people left. The teachers, his father and several of the football players. Ignoring them all, Austin knelt to collect Shelby's notes – and exhaled dejectedly with what he found. Copies of e-mails – his and hers – scripted for this 'skit' to fit. Tearing what was in his hands in half with a frustrated move, he knew with sudden certainty he couldn't trust anything any girl said to him with regards to Cinderella anymore. The date at the top indicated they'd been printed that morning, but who knew how many girls – how many _people _had read them?

Who had found Princeton Girl's identity and told Shelby instead of him?

"Austin?"

Looking up, he found the last person he'd ever expected to see at a pep rally standing in front of him. Yet, somehow - after their discussion at the diner the night before – it was fitting she be the one to remain. "Hey Sam."

She knelt down next to him, reaching out to help collect the papers he'd missed. "Did that help?"

"Not in the least." He waved the torn sheets, adding the undamaged ones to them. "Who knows how many people read these; now I'll never find out who she was."

"Cinderella, you mean?"

He nodded, resting his elbow on his bent knee and looked at her with sudden curiosity; why had she stayed? "Shouldn't you have left with everyone else?"

"Probably." Sam conceded, glancing back at the coaches and teachers who were talking about suspending the cheerleaders for such a malicious stunt. "But I promised Carter I'd talk to you."

One eyebrow rose. Sam was full of surprises. First at the diner, when she'd been able to nail exactly what he'd been feeling – probably, he reflected, because she understood intimately how it felt and now... talking to him after the fiasco of a pep rally where he'd probably lose his one shot at learning the identity of his chat partner. But he couldn't regret stepping in when he'd thought it had been about him; if he hadn't, she would probably have been humiliated and he never would have forgiven himself.

"Why'd you promise Carter you'd talk to me?"

"Because he told Shelby that he was Zorro," Sam shifted nervously, adding another couple of papers to the pile "the guy who saved her from David at the Homecoming dance."

"That was _Carter_?"

Nodding, Sam grinned and laughed a little - though it had an uneasy edge to it. "Method actors, huh? I guess playing Zorro actually convinced him he could _be_ Zorro."

"Brave soul; David's no push over."

"Neither is Carter."

"And neither are you," resuming his clean up of the papers he'd torn from Shelby's hands, he glanced her way. "But that doesn't explain why _you_ would need to talk to me."

"Carter was Zorro, Austin. Who did Cinderella arrive with?"

"Zorro." He stopped, turning to look at her. "Do you know who she is, Sam?"

Biting her lip, Sam looked away and Austin was unaware that the hurtful things Shelby had been screaming were reverberating around in her head. As he watched her, Austin could see her swallow hard, as if fighting to say something. She collected another set of papers, the last ones, and glanced down at them before handing them over. He saw her wince, a flicker of hurt flashing through her gaze, and his eyes dropped to the passage.

It had been written by Princeton Girl and read; "Dear Nomad; I want you to know who I am, but I'm scared. I'm scared you'll reject me. And... I've never had a _real_ kiss before."

He well remembered getting that e-mail and how _thrilled_ he'd been to think that, when they finally met, he might just be the one to give her that first _real _kiss; now he'd probably never know who she was – unless Sam knew.

"Sam?" Unexpected tears glittered in her eyes as she met his questioning gaze. "Are you okay?"

"No. I'm as scared now as I was then."

"When?"

Sam laughed shortly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Taking a deep breath, she stood, looking down at him. "I have just one question for you, Austin."

He rose slowly to his feet, feeling as if he should be reading off a script, except his part had been omitted. "Just one?"

"Yeah. When... I dropped my cell phone running out of the Homecoming dance, did you pick it up?"

_When she dropped_... His eyes widened in surprise as her words sank in. _Sam_ was Cinderella - his chat buddy, PrincetonGirl818? Was that what she was saying? In the back of his mind, he'd already started comparing her height, hair and face, trying to picture her with that half mask. And, suddenly, their discussion from the previous evening at _Fiona's_ diner – her words in particular – were ringing through his head.

_Like being yourself isn't good enough - like you're wearing a mask. You just want to be honest with this person and tell them it's me; I'm the one you've been looking for._

Sam continued, looking at him with eyes that seemed so guarded yet vulnerable, searching his for _something_ – acceptance maybe? "Because if you did, I'd like it back."

"_You're_ Princeton Girl?"

Sam nodded, once. "I know I'm not what you expected, and I don't expect special treatment or for us to be friends or anything, but I would-"

"Sam."

Holding up her hands, she took a half step back, as if expecting him to say something hurtful – and didn't give him the chance. "I know that Shelby was right, Austin and that I don't belong in your circle; can I please just have my cell phone back and I'll never-"

"_Sam!_"

Her lips snapped shut at the exasperation in his tone, her eyes widening as she waited for whatever he had to say.

"What's your cell phone look like?"

She blinked, caught off guard by his question, and answered it without pause. "It's a blue Samsung with silver stars on the front and back."

"It's in my car; I'd have to go get it."

Sam was Princeton Girl – somehow it was poetic justice and fitting. It was as she'd said; he'd seen her before but not _seen_ her; it had taken their conversation at the diner the other day for him to actually see _her_ for the first time and even then he hadn't placed her. Oh, he'd come close; those eyes of hers were as entrancing as his Cinderella's – which made sense since they were one and the same.

"I can wait."

"Or you could come with me."

"_Austin!"_

"I know," He raised his hand to his dad in acknowledgement. "I'll be home later."

Mr. Ames nodded and left but Austin had already returned his gaze to the girl before him. She looked miserable and uneasy. With a bow, not unlike the one he'd executed while wearing the Prince Charming costume, he extended his hand to her. "Walk with me, beautiful lady?"

"If you're going to make fun of me, just get it over with."

"I'm not going to make fun of you, Sam," he assured her quietly, hoping she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Please - walk with me?"

She glanced around, seeming to take his word and nodded, stepping off the stage before turning to wait for him. Austin tucked the papers under his arm – he'd burn them later – and stepped down. She slid her hands into her pockets instead of taking the one he offered and he couldn't say he really blamed her. Heading towards the parking lot, he moderated his pace so Sam could keep up with him and was pleasantly surprised when she began walking faster than he did allowing him to resume his normal gait.

"I think it's your turn to play twenty questions."

"The full twenty?" She looked at him cautiously. "That hardly seems fair when I only gave you ten."

_That_ cinched it. Sam _had_ to be Princeton Girl; he hadn't told anyone about that little fact and they hadn't discussed it in their e-mails.

"I'm feeling generous."

"I... don't really have anything I want to ask you, Austin. Although I never did tell you that asking me to dance _didn't _count as a question – so I guess that means _you_ have one left."

And he knew just what he wanted to ask – except it was a multi-part question. Considering he knew bits of it based on their e-mail conversations he was more looking for clarity. Still, the very basis of it was all the same.

"Did you really think I'd reject you when I found out you were Princeton Girl?"

"Aren't you?" She returned, stepping into the parking lot beside him as they headed for his car. "Until the Homecoming Dance you'd never given me two minutes of your time. I know where you and I stand in the school hierarchy. We can't be friends - it would throw things into total chaos."

Which was good, because he didn't want her to be _just_ his friend; knowing who she was only alleviated the mystery but not the yearning to be near her – be _with_ her. "So let's mix things up a bit," he told her recklessly as they reached his car and he was reaching for his keys. "Let's turn things upside down."

Sam stopped beside his car, placing one hand on the hood and was already shaking her head. "You don't know what you're asking for; that pep rally is only the beginning. Once Shelby tells people I was Cinderella - and they realize who I am - things could get ugly."

"I don't care."

Looking up at him again, Sam's smile turned sad. "Don't you get it, Austin? She was right; we're from different worlds. You wouldn't fit in mine and I don't _want_ to even _try_ fitting into yours."

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." He quoted softly, stepping towards her.

Sam's response was automatic. "Emerson." And she was right – as usual.

"Sam... I don't care; I meant what I said. I _want_ to be with you at Princeton – now that I know who you are, I'd like that to be sooner. If we're going to whether a storm, let's do it together instead of trying to survive on our own."

"Does this mean you don't hate me?"

Leaning in close, he trapped her against his car, bracing his arms on either side of her. "That depends."

"On?"

He eased in, watching her eyes. "Will you hate me if I kiss you?"

Those eyes that had so captivated him at the Homecoming dance widened in shock. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you want to kiss me?"

"Because I've thought of little else since meeting you?"

Impossibly, her eyes got wider – but there was no fear in her gaze as his head came down. And in that moment, as their lips touched for the first time, Austin knew his relationship with Sam was going to be one discovery after another. She'd challenge him as he'd challenge her and they'd be able to grow together; it was the beginning of a real life fairy tale.

_fin_


	8. Lessons in Humiliation

**Vig #8 - Lessons in Humiliation**

"Dear Princeton Girl."

Austin sat frozen in silent horror, the fractional shake of his head one of denial, as the girl on stage pretending to be him proceeded to not only continue, but to _read_ one of the more recent of the e-mails he'd sent Princeton Girl.

"In can't wait until we finally get to meet. You're the only one who understands the real me; the me who doesn't want to play USC football, but wants to be at Princeton - with you."

It was like being trapped in a nightmare and being unable to wake up. They didn't read the rest of his message, but what they read was damaging enough. His father leaned close over his shoulder.

"What are they talking about?"

"Nothing," he choked back, the anger simmering below the surface as the girl pretending to be his chat buddy 'texted' back.

He didn't have to hear it to know what she was saying; he well remembered that series of e-mails - it had been two days ago, after school when he was certain she _had_ to have seen the beginning of his quest to locate her. When he'd begged for her to tell him her identity and she hadn't, he'd tried another tactic and obtained a response he hadn't expected in the e-mail now on display.

What did Princeton Girl have to fear from him?

Hearing those words read aloud, though - listening to the _laughter_ of his teammates and peers - was like being speared. Shelby's gaze dropped to his for a millisecond and he knew with intimate certainty she wasn't finished yet.

"But out Princess had a secret too. She wasn't Royalty at all, but a geek; a loser; a servant girl."

Shelby didn't look his way, but seemed to have her eyes locked on somewhere beyond him, towards the back of the crowd. The sudden understanding of what she was about to do surged through him like a tidal wave; she was going to unmask his Princess in the most painful and public way possible. He didn't hear his dad's question, simply shook his head, unable to form any kind of coherent response as the blood began to pound in his temples.

"And who, may you ask, is this imposter? Let's give it up for the _pretend_ Princess, Diner Girl - Sam Montgomery!"

Austin felt as if he'd been sucker punched. _Sam? SAM was Cinderella? _Unconsciously he mouthed her name, and turned to look back over his left shoulder. _Everyone_ had turned to look at her and she wasn't looking his way initially, but at the surrounding crowd with a pained expression on her face. _No one_ was such a good actress as to portray that kind of mortification - especially not a girl who'd prefer to remain in the shadows.

Her eyes came back to his and it was like being punched below the belt for the second time in seconds. The luminescent quality to her eyes as they shimmered with tears and silently begged him to do something, _anything_, to indicate his feelings on the matter. Her head tilted and he saw her shoulders slump when he could do little more that stare at her, searching her eyes for the answer to his question.

_Why didn't you tell me?_

Sam's gaze never left his and the light started to die within them, tears slipping first down one cheek and then down the other as the laughter of the students around him and their chant of "Diner Girl!" filtered through his shock. Carter, Sam's friend, bent down to say something to her, but it was her heart broken expression that spurred him into action- though it was more of a reaction than a conscious though.

"That's enough."

Those around him stopped to look, but Austin didn't see; his gaze was firmly planted on Sam's face as she turned to leave with her friend.

"What'd you say, bro?"

Ignoring Ryan's question, Austin pushed to his feet and put ever ounce of authoritative volume he could into his voice - and having been the Team Captain for most of his High School career, it was quite a bit. "I said _that's ENOUGH_!"

His sharp command echoed over the chant and the sudden silence was almost as deafening as the chanting had been. In unison, the students and teachers turned to look his way. Even Sam and Carter stopped in surprise - except they were now on the edge of the crowd instead of at its center and Austin wondered if he'd already lost her.

Austin's gaze finally traveled around to those staring at him and fear started to creep in around the anger. David, thankfully, always seemed to know what to say to help him out and - while he didn't obviously intend to - it was exactly what Austin needed to hear.

"What's the big deal, man?" David's condescending question was full of confusion. "It's just Diner Girl-"

"Her _name_," Austin informed his friend succinctly. "Is _Sam_."

Looking around at the crowd once more, Austin stepped away from his chair and towards the stage. He crossed his arms over his chest - a defensive posture that also made him look intimidating with the glare on his face - and slowly took in everyone. "What... right do you, _any _of you, have to judge her? She works at a Diner, so what? I work at a Car Wash."

"What's this about, Austin?"

"Humiliation, dad. Were you going to stop it? How about you coach - or you, Mrs. Wells? Just because Shelby is the head cheerleader, it doesn't give her the right to turn a school spirit exercise into an exhibition for a personal vendetta." Glancing back Sam's way, he was glad to see she'd decided to stick around.

"She's a phony, Austin," Shelby informed him tartly. "She's a nobody."

"Not to me," he bit back. His admission drew surprised looks from Shelby and several others around him, but it was the look in Sam's gaze when he caught it that he saw with the most clarity. "That's right; _Sam_ is the best friend I've ever had."

That drew a nervous laugh from some of the students until Austin focused a hard look in their direction. "Laugh if you want to; it's funny, isn't it? No?"

"In think we've had enough school spirit for one day," Mrs. Wells finally stood, trying to take back control of the pep rally.

"In a minute, Mrs. Wells."

"Austin, I don't think-"

"Respectfully, you didn't act either," he informed her, almost as curtly as he'd spoken to Shelby. "I think it's only fair that Sam has the chance to embarrass me the way Shelby did her."

Sam, he could see, was shaking her head and shrinking back away from the edges of the crowd as if to escape - but the kids around her wouldn't let her through. Austin turned her way deliberately and hopped up on the stage. He wasn't a sucker for punishment but he certainly deserved it for having let this go through to the very end. He owed her.

"How about it, Sam? Here's your chance."

"Chance for what?" Ryan asked the question Austin wasn't voicing.

Staring straight at Sam, Austin saw she understood what he was doing. If anyone understood, it would be her; she _knew_ him the way no one else did. Silence reigned for a minute before Sam's miniscule shake of her head prompted him to answer his friend. "Sam understands."

The eyes that were on Austin turned her way and Austin was delighted to see Sam straighten her spine and tilt her chin up almost defiantly with the scrutiny. She'd be getting a lot of it with his public declaration. Already Austin could see the subtle shift in opinion about her; who was Sam Montgomery that _Austin Ames_ considered her his best friend?

Behind Austin, Shelby scoffed. "What could _she_ possibly understand?"

"More than you ever did." Keeping his gaze firmly on the girl who'd been unknowingly occupying his thoughts for the better part of the last two months, his tone turned challenging. "Sam?"

"I have conditions," she finally answered, but left the rest of the crowd in the dark as to their by-play.

"I know."

Her gaze dropped to his jersey and Austin knew what she wanted - it was clear in her eyes when they came back to his. Before he could think too much about what he was doing, the jersey was up and over his head, dangling to the side in one hand.

"Put that back on, Austin!"

Ignoring his father, Austin kept his gaze locked with Sam's. "Anything else?"

"Only if you're ready for it."

He wasn't, but he'd come this far and she hadn't run yet. He wasn't about to _let_ her run. "I quit," he said loudly, turning away from Sam to look directly at his father. "You'll have to face the Lancers on Friday without me."

Chaos erupted, his father surging to his feet with the rest of his team as Austin dropped the jersey to the stage floor. As symbolic as it was, he wasn't finished. Knowing he'd never be heard over the clamor no matter the strength of his lungs, he pulled the microphone from the stand in front of Shelby.

"One second," he admonished everyone sternly. "I'm not finished."

Quiet was slow to resume and the look his father was sending Sam was murderous. Determined to get the focus back on himself, Austin moved back to center stage. "I _said_ I'm not finished."

His irritated command was reminiscent of his father and few people had seen Austin angry; he wasn't the type to express himself outwardly. It was but one reason he was such a good writer - a lot of pent up emotion to draw on. "As Shelby made sure you all heard, I _intend _to attend Princeton - and I've been accepted. I won't be going to USC next year to play football."

"You're throwing away your dream for a girl?" his dad protested incredulously.

"No dad," Austin's courage was bolstered by Sam's smile. "I'm throwing away your dream so I can follow mine."

"_Her_?"

Sam laughed; she couldn't help it, and that sound was the sweetest music to Austin's ears; that she was able to so soon after the humiliation of Shelby's skit was a hallmark of her strong character. "No, Mr. Ames; I'm just someone who listened to what his dream was."

"And I didn't?" Mr. Ames snapped. "We've been working on this program since Austin was nine; he wouldn't just throw it all away because his girlfriend thought she knew what was best for him."

"You're right, dad; I wouldn't. USC has been your dream, not mine. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen; Sam did."

"And I'm _not _his girlfriend."

Unbeknownst to her, Austin had been hoping she'd say something like that. They had an audience; a captive audience from the look of things and one that looked slightly mutinous from the direction of the Cheerleaders. Staying where he was, Austin extended his hand to Sam - palm up - in a silent echo of his words.

"Maybe not, Cinderella; but I'd like you to be."

_"Austin!" _

Shelby's sharply inhaled breath was all Austin needed to hear to know she _finally_ understood what all of this had been about. In one little sentence, Austin had given _Sam_ power over him, a power Shelby had never really had. _Shelby_ had asked Austin on their first date and had initiated just about every encounter thereafter. Austin had just been along for the ride; and now _he _knew that _she_ knew it too.

To give _Sam_ the opportunity to say no, to turn him down in front of the student body was like handing her the keys to the kingdom. No matter her answer, Sam had been catapulted into the spotlight and would never be able to fade back into the shadows again. In seconds, Sam had gone from 'Diner Girl' to something more - if not cool than at least more than she had been.

"What'll it be Sam?"

Looking around, Sam wasn't inclined to answer him one way or another in front of all these people despite the fact they were all hanging on _her_ words for a change. Glancing up at Carter, she reached into her pocket and handed him her keys. Deliberately, she stepped away from him, squeezing his hand before she did, and returned her gaze to Austin's.

It was all the answer he needed. Austin was off the stage and across the open area between them in a half dozen strides. No one tried to stop him; no one dared - not even his father. Reaching her, he stopped, toe to toe, staring into her eyes and smiled, knowing she saw his intention.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done when we first met."

_"Austin!"_

They didn't hear Shelby or his father as Austin reached out to catch her chin with his thumb and forefinger. Sam searched his gaze, tilting her face to his, and Austin smiled as he met her half way - only to be rocked by an innocent kiss that curled his toes.

Neither of them noticed until they separated several minutes later that the teachers had broken up the pep rally around them. They hadn't heard it, or seen it - and no one had tried to disturb them. Austin brushed her bangs aside, caressing the side of her face with his finger tips. "Now you can't say you've never had a real kiss before."

Sam looked up at him for a moment and then, to his delight, began to laugh.

And while that sound was something that seemed to reverberate joyfully inside him, silencing her was more enjoyable than making her laugh in the first place - and Sam... Sam was a fast learner.

_fin_


	9. Hallway Encounter

**Vig #9 - Hallway Encounter**

Sam kept her head ducked down, avoiding the eyes of the students in the hallways as she did and keeping them planted firmly on the floor ahead of her. The pain of Austin's rejection was a fresh as it had been the night before; he'd had the opportunity to say something - anything - and simply turned away.

She shouldn't have been surprised, but she was. His _only_ saving grace was that he hadn't been laughing. Her own pain had been too great to understand the expression on his face. Not that it mattered; the only thing that mattered was that Austin hadn't said a thing. He'd sat there as she'd been ridiculed and made fun of; sat and _watched_ as Shelby and the 'cool' kids proceeded to tear into her character and shred it like tissue.

Blinking back tears, she ducked her head further, using the brim of her ball cap as a shield. It was all she had left. All around her she could hear the kids whispering about Sam Montgomery who'd _presumed_ to think she was good enough for Austin Ames. The worst part was that she hadn't, not really. She'd believed she _might_ be a good match for Nomad before she'd discovered he was Austin; she should have followed her instinct that night at the Homecoming dance and left before he'd had the chance to entrance her.

_Stupid_, she admonished herself, blinking back yet more tears and not really paying much attention to where she was going as she adjusted her bag over her shoulder. _Charm is just a weapon and you fell for it; hook, line and sinker. You didn't even feel it until that awful show yesterday._

What had she ever done to Brianna and Gabriella that she'd deserved this? She did Brianna's school work and did it well - maybe a little _too _well. She did everything both of them asked of her, discounting those things she felt were illegal, and never-

"Oof!"

A solid body in her way sent her sprawling, her book bag taking the brunt of the blow as she was knocked back on her backside and her books slid out everywhere. It was a familiar position at the Diner whenever she ran into Fiona - and an unwelcome reminder. _Great_, she thought peevishly - and was interrupted by the very _familiar_ and unwelcome voice of the boy who'd been plaguing her thoughts.

"Man, I'm sor - _Sam_?"

Unwilling to look up, or answer him - she didn't owe him anything - Sam gathered herself, moving to tuck the books that had slid free back inside her bag. She caught him crouch out of the corner of her eye, his jeans tightening across his thighs as one knee hit the floor. He scooped up a couple of her books before she could and handed them over without comment - and Sam made sure she avoided his hands when she took them back.

With her books safely packed away, Sam made to get up.

"Here, let me help you."

If she'd had _any_ doubt as to whom it was crouched before her, the silver ring on the third finger of his right hand would have given it away. But, unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury of _not_ knowing who he was. Nor did it help that just the sight of that hand, offered so much like it had been at the Homecoming Dance, was enough to send tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I'm fine," she managed to choke out, ignoring his proffered hand and ducking her head as she rose without his assistance. "Just... leave me alone."

"Sam, I-"

As she was regaining her feet and trying to turn away all at the same time, someone bumped into her from behind and sent her sprawling forward - into Austin. Her cap was knocked askew and off from the force of her impact against his chest. They hit the floor and Austin rolled with the blow - much like he did on the football field - except he wasn't cradling a football this time.

Sam closed her eyes, unable to stem the tears that sprang forth with the feel of his touch. Even through the green jacket she'd worn as a way to hide from everyone, she could feel the strength in those fingers. He'd danced with her, held her before - much as he was now - and the memory was heart breaking.

"Sam?"

Biting her lip as she kept her head down, she pushed up and away - except Austin still had one hand wrapped around her upper arm. She tugged at it, trying to break away. "Let me go."

"Look at me," he pleaded softly.

All around them, students passed by giving them curious looks - and why wouldn't they? Austin was practically flat on his back with Sam crouch across one thigh as she tried to get to her feet. Pulling backwards, Sam refused to do as he asked; she didn't owe _him_ anything. He'd played her for a fool and she wasn't going to be twice burned.

His grip on her arm ease - but only because Austin moved towards her, shifting into a sitting position. Using the opportunity, Sam jerked her arm away and scrambled backwards. Laughter could be heard all about her and there was no doubt in her mind that people were laughing at her again.

"Sam!"

Scrambling to her feet, she made to move - except she didn't have her hat. Turning to look, she found it extended towards her in those familiar fingers. Brushing the back of one hand across her cheek, she reached for it but he didn't let it go.

"Look at me, Sam."

Something in his tone told her that he wouldn't let go of her hat until she did. It was blackmail to get what he wanted; and _Austin Ames_ always got what he wanted. Giving in, Sam allowed her gaze to lift, trailing those fingers back to a strong, tanned wrist, up the gray sleeve of his shirt, up the strong lines of his throat. Her courage wavered as she saw his jaw bunch, but somehow she found the strength to keep going - only this time she closed her eyes as she lifted her head, only to open them when she knew she'd be looking into his.

What she saw was not what she expected and it did nothing to alleviate the confusion and humiliation the last 24 hours had visited on her. She didn't even _try_ to understand what he seemed to want to tell her.

"I've looked," she told him, her voice wavering. "Can I have my hat back?"

The way she said it sounded as if she were asking for more and only by sheer force of will - and the knowledge that people were paying attention to their by-play - kept the wince to a twitch. Tears were already sliding down her cheeks; they didn't need anything more from her. Yet, Austin seemed to understand she wasn't just asking for her hat back; she was asking for her heart back too.

"Sam... I'm sorry."

A tug on her hat gained its freedom and as she slid it back on her head, she didn't break the eye contact for a long second. She couldn't smile, and didn't even try, with a single, short nod of acknowledgement. He couldn't give her back what she'd freely given.

"Me too."

Turning on her heel, she fled towards her next class and left Austin standing in the middle of the hallway and the gossip mongers with yet more fodder on the girl who'd presumed to walk in a world where she didn't belong.

_fin_


	10. Dear Sam

**Vig #10 - Dear Sam**

Austin sat in front of his computer on Thursday night, the day _after_ the pep rally, staring at the blank screen and the ghosted letters of PrincetonGirl818's name - an indicator she was offline. Or that she was simply _pretending_ to be offline. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to talk to him, not after everything that had happened in the last two days.

After Shelby's little skit, Sam's humiliation and his own inability to deal with it at the time, he didn't have a clue what she was thinking about him right now - if anything. He hadn't stopped thinking about _her_ since the Homecoming dance and she had only become _more_ of an obsession since discovering her identity. He'd seen her walking the the hallways that day and struggled internally with his personal demons. He'd been undecided if he should approach her, the way she'd walked - so completely alone and isolated despite the people around her - calling to him in a fashion that had been gut wrenching.

Had Shelby not said something to him - he couldn't remember what it was now - he didn't know what he would have done. Beg Sam's forgiveness? Plead for a fair hearing? Abjectly apologize for being terrified of his father's reaction to learning of his dreams? He didn't know and probably never would.

If he went after Sam - like every fiber of his being was crying at him to do - he'd expose himself. His dad would have the confirmation he needed to call him on the carpet about Princeton. On the other hand, if he _didn't_ go after Sam, he might lose her forever if he hadn't already. But could he face his dad and strike out on that unknown territory?

He felt like a cad.

The pressure his dad was exerting on him, the expectations from his class mates and team mates - all of it was like being slowly and willingly drowned. But it was his own fault; he's willingly stepped into the pool and slid under the waters with barely a twitch of protest. Now - in trying to reach the surface - he couldn't help but feel as if he'd taken his _only _life line and pulled her in with him to drown rather than to break free for fear of his father.

Sam probably thought he was exactly what he appeared to be and nothing at all like the guy she'd been chatting with for months; which was wrong. So totally and completely wrong. But how to tell her that? Would she listen? Even if she didn't, he decided he had try.

Clicking on her screen name, he selected "new message" and the familiar window with _**PrincetonGirl818**_ popped up. Always before there had been a comfort zone when sending her message, but this one felt different. _Probably because it is_, he reflected. It would be the first time he'd written her full well knowing who and what she was. Not 'Diner Girl' as the school and his so-called friends had coined her, but the sensitive young woman who'd been deliberately humiliated in front of most of the student body for simply being honest with him.

Resting his fingers over the key board, he stared at the flashing cursor and decided to start small.

_Dear Sam,_

He blanked.

Austin stared at that cursor, the thing seeming to mock him - what could _he_ possibly say to make everything better? What could _he_ possibly say that would fix this and make it right? He doubted he could say anything, but he couldn't go on like this. Two days without talking to Sam was like his own private little torture chamber no one knew existed; seeing her suffer for his cowardice was like a knife to the chest.

_I don't know if you'll read this and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but on the off chance you don't hate me completely, I'd like to explain._

Explain what? He deleted the last section and tried again.

_but on the off chance you don't hate me now, I wanted to set the record straight._

Frustration suffused him and he deleted that too. He could think of a hundred ways to say 'explain', but that wasn't really what he wanted to do. She wasn't owed an explanation; she was owed an apology. For his inability to act at the Pep Rally or to say something before now. Whatever she thought of him, it couldn't be good and he couldn't bear to let her continue thinking it. _If_ she was thinking about him at all.

He deleted what he had and started over.

_Dear Sam,_

_I don't know if you'll read this and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I wanted to apologize for being a coward; for my inability to stand up to my dad and our peers at the moment you needed me. You gave me the chance to be the guy I wanted to be, and I couldn't do it when it counted most. I can only hope you've gotten this far on the off chance you don't hate me as much as I hate myself for letting you down._

_I wish I knew why you didn't tell me yourself and sooner - why you didn't trust me. _

_I'm not blaming you for what happened as I'm sure you never intended for our conversations to become public and I know that my inaction when it did caused you pain. It was never my intention; I never wanted to see you hurt. _**I** never_ wanted to hurt you._

_And... as inadequate as the words are they need to be said; I'm sorry. So Sorry - for everything... except the chance to get to know you. _

_Austin_

Before he could re-think the wisdom of what he was doing, or even double check what he had written, Austin hit the _send _button before he could change his mind. Given the chance, he might not do it at all, or delete it before he could his subconscious began formulating all the horrible things that could happen by sending such a letter.

It was minutes after he'd sent it that he realized whoever had printed their conversations likely had access to Sam's e-mail - unless they'd gotten a hold of them when she'd stepped away from the computer. Would they read it before she did and delete it? Could they? Or had Sam just left her e-mail unguarded for several minutes with disastrous consequences?

Whatever the case, it was too late now and he'd have to deal with whatever occurred

Turning away from his computer, Austin rubbed his hands over his face and braced his elbows on his knees. What was done was done and hopefully she'd read it. One way or another, something had to give and he suspected it would be soon. If he wanted even the _chance _to attend Princeton, there was a showdown coming between father and son... and more than anything he wanted Sam in his corner for it.

He only hoped she'd give him a second chance.

_fin_


	11. Locker Room Confrontation

**Vig #11 - Locker Room Confrontation**

"Sam!"

Austin pushed to his feet in surprise, staring at the _last_ person he'd ever expected to see in the boy's locker room - and she looked furious. It wasn't how he'd pictured their next meeting - in fact he'd given up on there being a _next_ meeting until after the football game - but somehow it was fitting. She cocked one hip, planting her hand on it as she glared at him and Austin was suddenly loathe to let her just tear strips off him in front of the team.

"Okay," he started. "I know you just think that I'm some-"

"Coward? Phony?"

Sam cut him off, effectively silencing him as her words sliced deeper than expected - because she was right. He _was_ a coward and a phony; he wasn't the person everyone saw him to be yet he was still playing the role. Stung, he tried to explain.

"Just listen-"

"No; _you_ listen." She snapped, her eyes flashing. "You turned out to be exactly who I thought you were. I never pretended to be somebody else; it's been _me_ all along. And it was _me_ who was hurt in front of everybody."

Her words trigged a flashback to the pep rally - when many of the same people who were in the locker room with them now - had been so enthusiastically ridiculing her. Swallowing hard, his jaw locked, Austin looked around wondering if this was some kind of pay back on her part; it didn't seem like the Sam he knew to be so deliberately cruel.

It was a first for Austin; being on the receiving end of a woman's ire. Sure, Shelby had gotten 'mad' but Shelby had been vindictive and deliberately hurtful, often concocting excuses to 'make up' and get her way. Sam though... Sam fought dirty in her own way; she used the truth and circumstance - and it was a much more effective weapon.

He felt like a fool.

"Look," drawing his attention back her way, she moderated her tone from angry to... exasperated? - except this time it was directed at herself. "I didn't come here to yell at you."

Could have fooled him. Watching her, he noted that the anger seemed to have faded, her posture less threatening and confrontational than before. And then she proceeded to surprise him.

"I came here," she explained patiently, her expression softening fractionally as she met his gaze head on, "to tell you that I know what it feels like to be afraid to show who you are. I was but I'm not anymore."

Watching her was both painful and pleasurable; like being kissed by a beautiful woman and being kicked in the groin at the same time. _This_ was Princeton Girl before him in all her glory. Unafraid of giving her opinion and voicing her thoughts; it was a bittersweet moment.

"And the thing is I really don't care what other people think about me because I believe in myself and I know things are going to be okay. And even though I have no family and no job and no money for college, it's _you_ that I feel sorry for," Sam told him with surprising steel in her voice.

Staring at her, Austin clenched his jaw against the angry retort that sprang to his lips. Sam, his beautiful Cinderella, didn't pull her punches when she came in for the kill; and worst of all he deserved it. He deserved every single thing she'd said to him. Sam before him - beautiful in her own way - was tearing him to shreds with honesty.

"Head's up," David's voice cut through the silence that had engulfed the locker room as everyone had turned to watch Sam tear shreds off Austin. "Yo, five minutes."

Austin didn't take his gaze from Sam's despite the fact he partially turned his body to answer. His words, however, were clipped and irritated; a good outlet for what he was feeling. "I'm coming."

His answer wasn't what she was so obviously hoping for because Sam closed her eyes for a brief moment, half shaking her head. She knew better than anyone how little he wanted to play football; and she knew better than anyone just how much the fear of his father's reaction to that revelation kept him doing something he didn't love.

When she opened her eyes again, he could see the sheen of tears glossing their hazel depths. Determination and disappointment shone brightly in her eyes and he felt the latter lodge in his throat as she continued. "I know the guy who sent those e-mails is somewhere down inside of you," she finally informed him more quietly, making the point she'd come to make. "But I can't wait for him."

Immediate and lancing pain sliced through his rib cage, her words arrowing straight for his heart with the precision of a stiletto blade. He was losing her; _had _lost her.

"Because waiting for you, is like waiting for rain in this drought; useless and disappointing."

She held his gaze for a long second, starting to turn away as her chin lifted into the air. That last lingering look was like having her reach inside him to grab his stomach in a vice like grip. He felt sick, stunned as she finally broke eye contact and began walking away. Her shoulders were back, her head high and he knew with sinking certainty that she meant what she'd said.

"Sam..."

He saw her shake her head and continue onwards and he couldn't, _wouldn't_ let her get away. Moving to follow, he was jerked to a stop by David grabbing his shoulder. "What are you _doing_, bro?"

Shrugging off his friend's grip, Austin didn't take his eyes from Sam's rapidly disappearing back. Without answering his friend, he pushed through his team mates as they crowded in, veering towards the locker room door where Sam was headed.

"_Austin!_ We have a game in two minutes!"

Afraid that if he took his gaze off her she'd disappear, Austin didn't bother looking back over his shoulder. "Then knock 'em dead. _Sam_!"

Hands held him back, the jersey on his shoulder hitting the floor somewhere behind him as Austin ducked and jumped through the gaps between his team mates. He _had_ to get to her before she left! But Sam was too close and she wasn't impeded by people; she reached for the door and not once did she look back as her fingers curled around the handle.

Strong hands landed on Austin's shoulders, jerking him backwards and he lost his balance, going down. He lost sight of her as he hit the floor and a sea of green cut off his line of sight.

"Dude, have you lost it?" David demanded, planting one knee in Austin's chest to keep him prone. "We have a game to win and you're running off to chase some chick?"

The sound of the locker room door as it closed as like a gun shot in the sudden confused silence, and Austin's head dropped back to the floor. She'd left and she hadn't looked back; had she known he was coming after her? Focusing on David for a half second, his gaze drifted to just over David's shoulder where Ryan stood, taking them both in. "You wouldn't understand. Let me up."

His jersey slapped down across his shoulders and David's look was deliberately stern. "If I do, the only place you're going is out on that Football field, man. We _need_ you for this game."

"No; you don't." Austin reached up and twisted, putting David off balance enough to push him away. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he didn't so much as glance down at the jersey now sprawled across his lap. "It's Ryan's game now; not mine."

There was a stir confusion to the team at Austin's announcement and Austin took the opportunity to break through at their foot level, lunging through a low gap and regaining his feet on the other side. He heard them turn to follow him as he broke into a run for the locker room door - and then there were a series of surprised exclamations as someone tripped and slipped on his fallen jersey.

Without looking back, Austin hit the locker room door at a run and exploded into the hallway.

Sam and her friend Carter were half way down the hallway and turned to look back in surprise; but it was the widening of Sam's eyes as she realized just _who_ had come out of the locker room that was Austin's prize.

"Austin!"

Staring at her, he was suddenly at a loss for just _what_ exactly he was supposed to be saying or doing.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the game?"

_Probably,_ Austin agreed silently. When he failed to show, his father was going to throw a fit and there'd be hell to pay later. But how could he just let the girl who knew him better than anyone just slip away without fighting for her? He'd honestly thought she wanted nothing more to do with him until she'd shown up in the locker room. Her absence had been like living with a sucking chest wound and her sudden presence, angry and disappointed as it had been, a boon he'd never expected to receive.

"I'm not playing."

"Why not?" Carter's question was laced with disbelief. "It's the Homecoming game; they need you!"

"No they don't," Austin answered back, his gaze never leaving Sam's guarded one.

"If this is where you get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness," Sam told him pointedly. "I think you need practice."

"Would it help?"

"It might."

"Sam?"

"I'm okay, Carter," She assured her friend, but her posture was still defensive as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I said all I have to say to you, Austin. I'm done."

"I'm not. I can't lose you, Sam."

"_You_ never had me to lose; Nomad did."

"I _am_ Nomad."

"No; you're not." Sam shook her head, and there was sadness in her tone. "He's somewhere inside you, but he's _not_ you... and he might never _be _you."

Austin tried another tactic. "Would it help you to know I've spent the last two days trying to find the right way to apologize?"

"Not a chance." Her eyes were steely, the well of strength he'd witnessed in the locker room sustaining her even now. "You can say whatever you want right now and change it later with your friends. Nothing's changed."

"Changes aren't always made by grand gestures." He spread his arms wide. "Do you see a football jersey?"

"Will that change when your dad comes through the door behind you, demanding to know where you are?"

"No," He took another step towards her. "You know my dream isn't to play USC football; its about time he learned it too."

"He won't like it."

"He'll get over it."

Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise. There was a quiet conviction in his words that had been previously lacking; total and utter sincerity he certainly hadn't felt before. His father's dream was not his own and, if he wanted to have a chance at his own dream, he needed to be willing to stand up for it.

"That's... new."

His lips twitched, well aware that Sam's friend Carter was watching him distrustfully - and he couldn't really blame him. "There's a lot of that going around today. Girls in the boy's locker room; girls with no reputation to speak of lashing back - deservedly - at the school's Student Body President... and slowly tearing my ego and pride to strips in front of my team mates. If your point was to give me a taste of what you felt at the pep rally on Wednesday, I think you've succeeded."

"The goal was never to humiliate you; just to let you know that until other people's opinions no longer matter, you'll never be able to chase your own dreams."

"Their opinions _don't_ matter Sam; but yours does. I can't stand it knowing I let you down."

"I'm used to being disappointed."

"Not by me." Sam and Carter still hadn't moved when he took another couple of steps. The dim lighting of the hallway hid some of her facial expressions and, more than anything, Austin wished he could see her eyes.

"_Austin!_"

He didn't turn at the sharp command in his father's voice.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be out on the field warming up."

"I'm not playing."

"What?"

"I said I'm not playing." Tearing his gaze away from Sam's, he turned to look at his father. "I have something more important to do."

"More important than your dream?"

"No; more important than _yours_."

"Look, son, we can talk about all of this after the game-"

Austin stepped back and away from his father. "I'm not playing."

"The scouts are here to see you play, Austin," Andy told his son sternly. "Now get back in there, get in uniform and get out there!"

"No."

"No?"

"I won't chase your dream anymore, dad; I can't."

"My dream? This has been _our_ dream for nine years!"

"No; it's been _your_ dream for nine years." Austin shot back angrily. "It might have been mine at the start, but I don't want to play USC football. I have no intention of running the Car Wash with you and being miserable for the rest of my life."

"If not USC then what do you want?"

"Princeton and their creative writing course; I want to be a writer."

"A _writer_? Austin, you have a real future here, a chance to make a name for yourself like I did doing something you're good at. You can't just throw it all away on a whim!"

"Watch me." Turning on his heel, Austin took two steps - and stopped dead. Sam was watching him in silence, her expression unreadable; for a moment he'd forgotten she was there.

"Don't you walk away from me!"

He stiffened, glancing back at his father before meeting Sam's gaze again. "I'm not; I'm chasing the part of my dream that's slipping away." The roar of the crowd was muted but they could hear it through the walls of the hallway, but Austin ignored it. He'd given up the limelight and, strangely, was more relieved than anything - the pressures were gone. "How about it, Sam? Will you give me a second chance?"

"Sam?" Andy seemed to notice Sam and Carter for the first time in the darkened hallway. "What, her?"

Austin ignored his father, watching her intently. Sam glanced Carter's way, but he didn't seem to have an answer for her - she was on her own... and Austin hoped she'd give him the chance he asked for. Her answer came in the form of a hesitant step taken in his direction - and Austin was before her, beside her, in a moment.

"Is that a yes?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"Austin! Get back here!"

Searching her gaze, he looked for some kind of encouragement, which was hidden in her half smile and continued to ignore his father. Reaching up, he cupped her cheek in one hand, running his thumb over the smoothness of her skin - something he'd wanted to do for days. Without a word, he dipped his head to kiss her - and the world fell away.

No matter what came next, _this_ was right.

_fin_


	12. Stood Up

**Stood Up**

"I _can't_ go. If Fiona found out she'd kill me - and then bring me back to clean up the mess."

"If she wants to hurt you, she's going to have to go through me," Rhonda told her forcefully.

"You go ahead, girlfriend, you do your thing."

Sam's eyebrows almost hit her hairline at Carter's comment - and she grinned with Rhonda's retort.

"Call me girlfriend one more time."

"Okay, sorry."

Rhonda turned back Sam's way. "Sam, your dad did not leave this earth wanting you to be unhappy-"

Sam held up her hands before Rhonda could continue. "I know you guys mean well, but if I go and Fiona finds out it could mean not being able to go to Princeton. I can't risk it. One night of potential bliss isn't worth the next five years under her heel."

"What about this cyber dude guy?"

"He'll understand, Rhonda," she hoped anyway. "We'll just have to meet some other time."

"You're giving up your Homecoming dance, Sam," Rhonda urged her to reconsider. "It only happens once in your life and it's a huge thing, are you sure you want to sacrifice that?"

"No," Sam conceded. "But I'll do it anyway because it's a small sacrifice to get what I want for my future."

Shaking her head, Rhonda walked away.

"Are you sure about this, Sam?" Carter searched her face. "You could be playing it safe when taking the risk might be the right thing to do."

"Mights and possibilities, Carter."

"And you _might_ get into Princeton."

"No, I _will_ get into Princeton," Sam corrected him cheekily. "But getting in is useless unless I have the money to pay for it - and skipping out on work tonight to attend the Homecoming dance could mean exactly that. I'll just have to reschedule with Nomad."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"The truth - and you're going to help me."

----------

Dressed as Zorro, Carter entered the Homecoming dance at ten fifty - alone. He'd just spent the better part of the last three and a half hours trying to convince Sam to change her mind to no avail. Instead, he'd become the glorified messenger - . Sam had asked him to meet Nomad in her stead and deliver a message she'd taken the time on her break to write. It wasn't much, but if nothing else it should make her apologies plain.

Carter had no intention of staying at the dance once the message was delivered; who ever this Nomad guy was, Sam should have left him out of the middle of it - but he was unable to say no to her when she begged... and begged she had. Text, she'd told him, was too impersonal for this kind of faux pas; it had to be a personal apology.

Folding like a house of cards, Carter had agreed to deliver her message, and - depending on whom Nomad turned out to be - maybe one of his own. Few guys were good enough for his best friend and anyone who made her feel the way this Nomad guy did, better be someone of upstanding character. Standing at the top of the stairs leading down towards the dance floor, Zorro put his shoulder to one of the staircase pillars and waited.

Eleven was approaching far faster than he would have liked and from his vantage point he could make out the entire dance floor - and the exact center directly under the disco ball. Thus far it was empty, but there was also a lull between songs at the moment as Astrid, the school's communication and sound whiz, changed out the music.

The clock crept towards eleven as a fairly fast paced disco-like song pounded through the speakers. The writhing mass of students seemed to pick up the energy of the song and even Carter felt his toes tapping along. A long cut, it took almost the whole five minutes leading up to eleven to play it.

No one paid the cape-clad Zorro any attention. Darkness cloaked him from the shadows and he was fine that way; soon enough he'd have to reveal his presence to someone he knew Sam would spend the weekend wanting him to identify; but that had been Carter's condition to doing this. Sam would set up another day this weekend to meet Nomad - which basically left Sunday - and Carter wouldn't spend any time with her until she did to avoid spoiling the surprise. Once his mission was complete and he reported back to her, Carter would take his dad's Mercedes and go home; he only hoped he wouldn't regret this.

The clock in the hallway behind Carter rang the hour, muted and almost lost under the music - and he zeroed in on the center of the dance floor. One of his class mates - he couldn't make out who - was just now stopping under the disco ball. Tall and broad shouldered in a Prince outfit, Carter judged him to be an athlete on first glance.

Was that even possible? Could Nomad be an athlete, a _jock_, after everything Sam had told him about the guy? Even as he watched, the other guy stood tall, searching the faces and students around him and never once turning his face in Carter's direction. One minute and then two passed, with the Prince standing alone in the center of the floor. Another two minutes passed and Carter watched, the Prince never moving from under the disco ball.

This, then, had to be Nomad.

No one else had approached him, no one had made a move to do anything even remotely resembling what Sam had told him to expect - which was in truth very little - and Carter pushed away from the pillar. Tugging his hat low, he descended the staircase, keeping one eye on the sandy haired Prince and one on his footing. Half way down, the Prince's head shook once - total frustration in that move - and he began to head off the dance floor. Judging his trajectory, Carter moved to intercept him.

The guy was tall and athletic from the length and strength in those strides and probably had fifteen or twenty pounds on him and another four or five inches - but Carter had made Sam a promise and few people would recognize Carter Ferrell as the lanky and dashing Zorro. He caught the Prince as he was stepping off the dance floor.

"Nomad?" The Prince stiffened - a move so imperceptible Carter would have missed it if he hadn't been looking for it - and it was a sign that he was right. Pitching his voice so he couldn't he heard, except by the costumed Prince, Carter tried to confirm it. "Nomad609 right? Princeton Girl818's chat partner?"

The guy whirled - and Carter took a step back as the identity of just _who _he was speaking to registered in his brain. _Austin Ames!_ Sam's pen pal was none other than the most popular guy in their class; football captain, student body president and all around golden boy Austin Ames! She was going to _flip_ when she found out.

"What do you know about that, Zorro?"

Austin's words were clipped and disappointment was written across his features; not that Carter could blame him - being stood up couldn't be fun. "I've a message from Princeton Girl for you."

"She's not here."

It wasn't a question, but Carter answered it anyway. "Something came up and she couldn't make it. She sends her most abject apologies and hopes you'll forgive her."

There was a moment hesitation before Austin glanced around and then nodded towards the back aware, away from the dance floor. "It's loud in here, follow me."

Carter followed Austin, wondering at the wisdom of doing so. While he didn't think Austin would hurt a girl, he knew the guy had no qualms about guys. Still, he'd promised Sam - and if he'd known what a snake's pit he was jumping into with agreeing to this he never would have.

Austin stopped in a quieter corner, turning to look at him and keeping one eye out for his friends. "You know her."

Again, it wasn't a question.

"Yeah; and you don't deserve her."

"Probably not," was the quiet confession Carter almost missed. Shaking his head, Austin seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking about. "You said you had a message for me?"

Carter reached into his belt and pulled the folded piece of paper Sam had given him to give to Nomad. It was inconvenient, but his outfit didn't have pockets - for authcenticity. Handing it over, he politely looked away as Austin opened it, pretending not to notice how the football player's hands trembled.

Interesting.

There was silence between them for several moments as Austin opened the note and perused it.

"Why'd she send you?"

Looking back, Carter noted that the note was still in Austin's hand - but neatly folded back over its creases. "Because she has manners; and she couldn't be sure you had your phone on you."

"Isn't she worried I'll figure out who she is by seeing you?"

"You'll be meeting her soon enough," Carter returned candidly. "My identity is a moot point."

"Will you tell me hers?"

"No."

Austin arched his eyebrows. "I could beat it out of you."

"The guy Princeton Girl talks to me about _all the time_ would never stoop so low."

Tilting his head upwards, Austin looked towards the ceiling, caught - and Carter considered for the first time, _really _considered, that maybe there was more to the jock than everyone knew. Maybe, just maybe, he really was the guy Sam raved about - he just never let anyone see it.

"Okay... Will you... tell her who I am?"

"Not even if you asked me to."

"That's something I guess. Can you tell her something for me?"

Carter nodded.

"Tell her... tell her I'll be waiting for her - online tonight," the almost hesitant way Austin said it was most telling, "and I want to talk to her whenever she gets home."

"I'll do that." With a tip of his hat, running two fingers along the brim Zorro style, he turned to leave. "Good luck."

"Thanks; at this rate I think I'll need it."

Stopping as he was about to move beyond the corner, Carter turned to look back at Austin. "And Ames?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't care if you are captain of the football team, student body president or the fact you could break me in two; if you hurt her I'll find some way to make you regret it for the rest of your life."

-----

**Nomad609:** There you are - I got your message

**PrinctonGirl818:** So I hear. I'm sorry I stood you up.

**Nomad609:** Your message could have held more detail you know - something more than 'Got roped into working and can't escape. Sorry.'

**PrincetonGirl818:** I thought about it, but then you'd have more questions than you already do.

**Nomad609:** So what happened? I thought you were supposed to have the night off.

**PrincetonGirl818:** I was. I guess you should know that my stepmother owns the place I work; if she'd caught me playing hooky to go to the dance there was no guarantee I'd be able to afford Princeton in the fall. As much as I wanted to meet you, I couldn't jeopardize that.

**Nomad609:** See, now that makes sense. I didn't realize she was your boss too.

**PrincetonGirl818:** I've never said as much, why would you? I'm really sorry, Nomad, I didn't want to stand you up tonight - really.

**Nomad609:** So Zorro said. Thanks for the personal touch by the way.

**PrincetonGirl818:** Which one?

**Nomad609:** The hand delivered apology - though I don't think I was what Zorro was expecting when he realized who I was.

**PrincetonGirl818:** He wouldn't tell me - just said that I should keep an 'open mind' when we finally do meet.

**Nomad609:** Heh. I just got a threat. He's not a big guy, but I believed him

**PrincetonGirl818:** He threatened you? Why?

**Nomad609:** I think you'll understand better when we finally meet; based on his reactions, I'm pretty sure that you and I have crossed paths before.

**PrincetonGirl818:** Really?

**Nomad609:** Yeah... and now I'll never sleep tonight knowing it; I'll keep wondering who you are...

**PrincetonGirl818:** What time are you off tomorrow?

**Nomad609:** Five. Like you, my parent owns my place of work - except I could probably sneak out early depending on the incentive. I have before.

**PrincetonGirl818:** I have the closing shift again tomorrow - five to midnight and even though I worked last night, there's no way I can skip out... except maybe for break.

**Nomad609:** Did you have something in mind?

**PrincetonGirl818:** I was thinking we could try and meet tomorrow, but our schedules don't match up.

**Nomad609:** Maybe not, but unlike you, I can always change mine. Name the place and time and I'll be there.

**PrincetonGirl818:** Are you sure? I don't want to cause undue friction at home.

**Nomad609:** They'd be friction with or without you. When and where?

**PrincetonGirl818:** The ball park at 3? Games don't start until after 4 and end just before 3 so we should have the place to ourselves.

**Nomad609:** It's a big place; any specific location?

**PrincetonGirl818:** The last diamond from the road with the trees behind the plate.

**Nomad609:** I'll find it. I'm sorry you couldn't join me tonight; we would have had a good time.

**PrincetonGirl818:** Hey, look at it this way. By meeting at the park instead of at the dance, if we don't click in person, nobody at school will ever know.

**Nomad609:** Ha. Right. So if there is more than one girl at the diamond, any hints for me on who I should be looking for?

**PrincetonGirl818: **I'll be the one in blue with the bat.

_PrincetonGirl818 has logged off_

_fin_


	13. First Instinct

**First Instinct**

As Terry disappeared through the crowd to get her something to drink, the disappointment of his identity was like getting slapped in the face with... with a cold fish. With the way everything else in her life had gone, why should this be any different?

"I knew this was too good to be true," Sam sighed softly, exhaling as she waited for Terry's return.

_"Princeton Girl?"_

The appellation of her nickname, slightly hesitant and a question all in of itself, caught her completely off guard. _No one_ but Carter or Nomad would know of it and it showcased that she'd been wrong. Terry _wasn't_ Nomad as she'd first thought. Anticipation and a little thrill skated up her spine as she turned slowly, lifting her head - and stopped, the smiling dying on her lips as the visage before her registered.

_Austin Ames_. _No way._

"Austin Ames?" The disbelief was clear in her tone and she couldn't help it; of all the people she'd thought Nomad to be, not _once_ had she even _considered_ Austin as a candidate. "_You're_ Nomad?"

"Yeah." He glanced down at his costume, a smile playing about his lips and his tone turned teasing. "I guess my costume doesn't do a very good job at hiding who I am."

But Sam was in no mood to be teased. The incident from the Diner was still fresh in her mind; how he'd sat there as Shelby and David had poked fun at her and her job, not once speaking up - not once stepping in. Sure, he'd laughed when she'd told Shelby off, but that only meant that he could find amusement in his surroundings. It wasn't the first time he'd done so and she doubted it would be the last. Shaking her head, Sam's lips thinned and tightened.

"No, I... I know exactly who you are," her tone had turned hard and she couldn't help it. The last thing she wanted was to be ridiculed by him and his friends for simply being who she was. "I'm sorry, this was a _really _big mistake. I've gotta go."

Collecting her dress, she turned to leave without sparing him another look and ignored his plea that she wait. She'd gone only a few steps before Austin caught up with her, grabbing her lightly by one arm and hauling her to a stop.

"Wait. It's not a mistake."

That's what he thought. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Of course I do," he insisted and a slight spark of hope blossomed within her breast - until he continued speaking. "You're Princeton Girl! You're the girl I've been waiting to meet; I know _exactly_ who you are. What's your name?"

It figured. Shaking her head at his shallowness - there was no _way_ Austin Ames could really be Nomad - Sam stared at him with barely concealed ire - and was interrupted.

"Your sweet libations, my lady."

Terry, to her surprise, was a welcome distraction - until Austin's tone made it clear he was unwelcome.

"Mister Anderson."

"Ah. Austin _Ames_ with the Lady. A devastating blow! A worthy opponent." Terry semi curtsied with his cape, as if to show he conceded to Austin's better form, and disappeared with one last look her way.

Sam was tempted to call him back but she didn't. Instead she simply shook her head. "Look, Austin; the fact that you don't know whom I am right now just means you can't see beyond this," she shook the skirt of her dress and at the moment, Sam couldn't believe she'd gotten all dressed up for _him_. "This isn't going to work."

"You can't know that."

"I know you and I know me - we're incompatible. This whole relationship should have stayed in cyberspace where it belongs." Making to turn away, Sam scanned the room for Carter in his Zorro outfit. "Besides, you already have a girlfriend."

"It's over," Austin insisted, catching her eye with a shrug. "I couldn't have met you tonight otherwise."

Flattered despite herself, Sam glanced up and into his face... and then mentally shook herself. She was crazy to think they could ever be anything between them, Nomad or not. Austin Ames was out of her league. "I'm flattered Austin - really; but this _is_ a mistake."

"Why, because I'm Austin Ames?"

"That's part of it."

"Then what's the other part?

"Me." Turning, she spied Carter at the bar and began making her way towards him. Austin, to her surprise, wasn't about to let her go.

"There has to be something I can do to change your mind."

Whirling on him, Sam knew her temper - which was never given free reign - was sparking and probably showing; and she didn't care. "Why? Because I'm dressed like a Princess and I look _amazing_? I should have come as the... the paper bag princess! Then at least you'd let me go."

"Never."

He sounded convincing and a part of her wanted to believe him - but his actions at school practically screamed he was lying. To Nomad it wouldn't have mattered; Nomad knew who she was and what she was and didn't care what she looked like; Austin Ames could never be that accepting. Sam was starting to think she'd have to unmask herself to get him to go away - and then she'd be humiliated. The idea that the playboy jock of the school knew her better than anyone was unbearably painful; who knew what he'd use that information for.

Austin stepped closer, pitching his voice so that only she could hear him over the thrum of the music. "You _know_ me, Princeton Girl. You know I don't care what you look like."

"You say that now, but what happens tomorrow when you see me as I really am - without the curls and the make up and the dress?" Pushing her way through the crowd, Sam managed to reach Carter - who was just turning away from the bar - and grabbed his arm. "We're leaving."

Carter looked from one to the other, obviously torn, but Sam tugged on his arm; he was her ride and she needed to get back. With any luck Fiona would have no clue as to tonight's disaster.

"Please stay, Princeton Girl, I-"

"Stop! Just stop," Sam choked, glancing back to look at Austin as she pushed Carter towards the stairs. "There's nothing you can say, okay?"

"I don't believe that. Why won't you give me a chance?"

"Because!" Pushing Carter away - and confident he'd get the car as she wanted when she saw him dart up the stairs - she whirled on Austin, aware they were drawing the stares of several students. Frustration roiled within her coupled with disappointment. He wasn't supposed to be so persistent! Austin Ames was supposed to have the attention span of a two year old, not the tenacity of a Rottweiler. Grabbing his arm, she dragged him aside and lowered her voice; they still had an audience, but this way people would lose interest faster.

"Look; we should never have met in person okay? Then I could go on being blissfully unaware that the guy with the friends who delight in tormenting me is anything but the shallow jock he appears to be."

"Tormenting you? We've met before?"

"Frequently." She confirmed with a hiss, feeling the sting of those insults more now than before; if his friends _ever_ found out her identity, she'd have no peace at all! "And I'm not inclined to encourage more of their attention which translates into not wanting _yours_ either."

"Just because I may not say anything, doesn't mean I approve of their behavior."

"Or it means you're a slave to your reputation. Either way, it doesn't matter who you are online, it's who you are out here… and out here, you don't know I exist. Let's keep it that way."

"I can't. Not after meeting you."

With a frustrated shake of her head, Sam moved away and headed for the stairs, starting to climb them. She'd been at the dance for all of fifteen minutes and couldn't wait to escape.

"Is it really so bad that I'm Nomad?" Austin asked softly, catching her by the elbow as she nearly tripped on the edge of her dress and saving her from an embarrassing fall. "Would you rather I have been Terry?"

"I'm not disappointed, if that's what you're asking." Accepting his help for what it was, Sam let him lead her up the stairs as she headed for the exit, impressed despite herself by his insistence to talk with her - and she admitted it to herself only - while she was being a bitch.

"Then what is it? Why can't you forget everyone else and just let this be us?"

_I'm afraid to be hurt_ _again._ She might never have had a boyfriend, but the idea of letting Austin close - and then losing him - was terrifying. Despite her attitude, she wasn't immune to his charm and his persistence was doing things for her ego she'd never expected. "There _is_ no us."

"There could be."

"Look... I learned a long time ago that wishing for the stars only brings you heartache."

"Because of your dad."

A nod confirmed his low comment - and where he'd gotten the knowledge. There was no escaping the fact that Austin was Nomad. "You're the stars Austin; a dream beyond my reach. I'm sorry."

"I think you have that backwards." He didn't let her go as they reached the top of the stairs, his fingers digging in to the muscles of her upper arm and elbow to keep her in place. "You've let me be me every night for the last two months; why is tonight any different? Why won't you let me show you I'm not the guy you always see?"

"Because I've seen you three times today already," she responded honestly. "_That _guy is who you are day to day and he doesn't know I exist anymore right now then he will tomorrow."

"Then tell me who you are and let me prove you wrong."

"Knowing who I am isn't going to change anything - except that your friends will have another reason to tease me." Pulling her arm away, Sam headed for the last flight of stairs that would take her outside.

"What?"

Ignoring him, Sam raced up the last flight of stairs and was halted once again as she reached the terrace outside, leading towards where Carter and his dad's Mercedes were waiting. Austin caught her, having been taken by surprise with her vehemence, but he could easily out distance her; football was good for his conditioning if nothing else.

"Wait - what do you mean by that?"

"I think it's self-explanatory."

"Not to me."

"Of course not; you're _popular_."

"And you're not."

"Not in the slightest." Austin seemed determined to stick with her and stayed at her side as she moved towards where Carter was waiting for her - so Sam stopped a few feet shy of the car and turned towards him, planting one hand on her hip. "Do you really want to know why, Austin?"

"I do."

"Then I'll tell you." Sam reached up and pulled her mask away, exposing herself to his gaze; she knew they were alone except for Carter - she'd looked. Meeting his gaze mask-less, Sam tilted her head proudly at Austin's stunned expression. She wouldn't pretend to be something she wasn't and let him have total honesty. "I live in an attic; I drive a beat up old car - and a friend of mine with a knack for making plain things beautiful offered to help me out tonight. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to do this - I don't know how."

"She succeeded."

Ignoring the soft compliment, Sam took a deep breath and let it out. "The reason I won't give you a chance is because you don't deserve one. Less than 6 hours ago you were sitting at a table where I work and watching your friends and girlfriend as they called me names - and doing nothing."

Turning on her heel, Sam strode towards where Carter was waiting for her but unable to miss the look on Austin's face as she did so. If she'd stripped naked, she doubted she could have put such an expression of shock on his face. Doubting he'd ever talk to her again, she slid into the passenger seat.

"Sam..."

"Just drive, Carter."

Something in her tone must have warned him as Sam tilted her head to the headrest, leaving a shocked Austin Ames standing on the runner towards the Hotel. Closing her eyes, Sam fought back the sting of tears, wondering how she could have been so naive to think this could have ended well.

What she wasn't expecting when she arrived home later that night and logged in to check her account - she was expecting mail from one of the Princeton news groups she was signed up to - was a note from Nomad waiting for her.

_Dear Princeton Girl,_

_I know you think tonight was a mistake - I still think you're wrong._

_You're right; I have mistreated you in the past and for that I'm sorry. Not knowing who you were was no excuse for standing idly by and letting my friends harass you. I can't control their actions, but I'm responsible for my inaction and for that I apologize._

_On the other hand, I have never - and will never - call you by the nickname David coined. Despite knowing who you are and where you work, I still don't know your name. I'll find it, just give me time, but I'd prefer if you'd tell me yourself... you see, I still want to be your friend._

_You know _me_. You know who I want to be and you're not intimidated by it or - apparently - by who I am currently. I'd _like_ to be friends outside of these e-mails and talk to you face to face on occasion. It's rare enough to find someone who will really listen; even rarer someone who understands. I haven't stopped thinking about you for weeks and meeting you - knowing who you are - hasn't changed that._

_But if we can't be friends at school, maybe we can still be friends in cyberspace._

_Please think about it._

_Austin_

Chewing on her lip, Sam examined the note. After everything she'd done and said, Austin still wanted to continue their relationship. Accepting the olive branch for what it was, Sam carefully considered what she was about to do and opened a new e-mail to Nomad. Despite knowing he was Austin Ames, Nomad she could handle - and Nomad she still wanted to be friends with.

_fin_


	14. First Kiss

**Author's Note: **I went looking and couldn't find a _single_ fic where Austin actually kisses Sam during the dance sequence - so here's mine ;)

----------

**First Kiss**

"If I ask you to dance," Austin queried teasingly as he helped her step up into the gazebo. "Does that count as a question?"

"There's no music."

"So?" Spreading his arms wide as she looked back over her shoulder a grin began to spread on his lips. With a half bow, he offered her his hand - the move bringing him down to her eye level - and waited.

She laughed softly, a sound that thrilled him to no end, and hesitantly placed her left hand in his. Her fingers were slightly callused, showing she knew how to put in an honest day's work, but her hand was soft. Keeping his gaze on hers, he ran his thumb over the backs of her fingers as he lifted her hand to his shoulder. It forced her to step towards him, a tantalizing tease of what it would be like to hold her in his arms.

Leaving her hand on his shoulder, he slid his right hand around her back, his thumb and forefinger teasing the line where her dress met skin. It was a move he remembered from their mandatory dance class - and was suddenly glad he'd paid attention. Princeton Girl accepted the move - and his touch - though he felt her shiver as his fingers brushed her skin. Glancing down, he pulled his left hand from behind his back and offered it. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before lifting her right hand to grasp it.

Their palms met, and Austin curled his fingers about hers. Despite the strength he could feel in her body, he got the overall indication she was fragile at that moment; uncertain - and as nervous as he. Never, not once outside of class, had he ever danced with anyone the way he intended to dance with her.

He started to sway, pulling her with his movements and delighted she was there, in his arms, finally. A smile he didn't even try to control crossed his lips as he looked down into her glowing hazel eyes, following his lead - and then looked right in surprise as the soft strains of a guitar caught his attention.

A trio, who'd been packing up when they'd first stepped into the gazebo moments before, had apparently decided to provide the one thing they lacked - music. It transformed a beautiful moment into something magical.

Austin laughed, Princeton Girl's laugh echoing his as she ducked her head towards his chest, looking back up to meet his gaze with an uninhibited smile. Her nervousness in that moment was gone and he got another glimpse of the smile and the laugh he'd been yearning to see and hear since he'd seen her first 'LOL' comment online. With every viewing, he was finding it harder and harder to look away. Her smile was infectious, the kind that made him want to smile right back at her - or kiss her senseless.

The strains of the familiar song encouraged him to do more than sway and, using his body to signal hers, Austin stepped into the first few moves of a three step pattern - also known occasionally as a waltz. To his delight, Princeton Girl seemed to know how to waltz - maybe she too had paid attention in class? - and followed his lead.

Mindful of her dress, Austin led her through the basics of the steps, counting off in the back of his head as he tried to make the movements as fluid as possible. But there was more to waltzing and dancing than just footwork. Smiling at her, he used the hand on her back to apply pressure as he lifted his left and proceeded to lead her through a series of spins. Not only did she seem to understand what he was doing but she followed with a grace and poise that took him completely by surprise. Her trust as he tipped her backwards over one arm at the end of the spin was both humbling and uplifting. She smiled, laughing, and his gaze dropped to her lips.

The moment seemed to slow as he gazed down into her eyes, his hands releasing her of their own accord... but he didn't step away. Lifting his hands in nervous fists, he brushed his knuckles across her cheeks, his thumbs drifting down across the line of her jaw. Ever so carefully, in case she wanted to pull away, Austin lowered his head, mindful of the fact that she'd never been kissed; it had been a confession in one of the last e-mails he'd received before tonight. Their eyes locked, and he saw hers widened as she understood his intent.

She tensed... but didn't pull away.

It was like something out of a dream as she tilted her head shyly, her gaze never leaving his, those unfairly long lashes of hers sweeping down to obscure her eyes. As his head came down, just breaths away from his lips touching hers, her eyes finally fluttered fully closed. Using his thumbs on her chin, he tilted her face ever so slightly as their lips brushed for the first time.

It was like being electrocuted - he felt it clear to his toes.

Princeton Girl did pull back at that moment, ducking her head to the side in a shy, maidenly display that was as charming as it was surprising. There was color on her cheeks, a light blush that hadn't been there before. He let her face slide from between his thumbs as she stepped away, seeming to need a moment to regain her composure.

Watching her, Austin had the sense that he'd done something wrong; had he moved too fast? The _last _thing he wanted to do was scare her away.

The music from the musicians continued as she lifted her face back to his, meeting his gaze once more and the shimmering of her hazel eyes was brilliant with wonderment as her fingers lifted to brush her lips. The gesture was as innocent as he knew her to be and completely beyond his experience. So he did the one thing that came as naturally as breathing; he attempted to put her at ease.

Stepping outside of her personal space and drawing her gaze, he made her laugh by flourishing his right hand into a low bow before him - not quite an apology but close - and offered it to her. The strains of the song continued and, as if drawn, she laughed softly - the sound sliding through his ribs to encircle his heart - and placed her hand in his once more. He grasped her fingers, silently thanking his lucky stars that she hadn't been frightened by his bold move and twirled her about in a single spin before pulling her back to him to resume dancing.

Was it his imagination or did she step closer this time?

They danced slowly, Austin taking the opportunity to slow their steps to a simple sway after a few minutes of silent spinning and waltzing that was more a chance to cool his own raging hormones than to put her at ease. But something had shifted between them, a tension that hadn't been there before suddenly making itself known - and he wanted to kick himself.

He never should have kissed her.

Her color had resumed to normal shade as their gazes locked and hers seemed rather shy and hesitant - but it was the spark of uncertainty and fear he caught that made his heart clench. Her words, when she spoke finally, were almost teasing despite what he saw in her eyes. A testament to the strong character he'd first seen perhaps?

"All out of questions?"

Hardly. He had a million and one questions, and only - three? four? - left? Watching her, he could see her quizzical nature - the one that had drawn him in online for so many weeks - rearing its head. His silence was intriguing to her. Searching her features, he looked for some kind of sign that he hadn't scared her away, and got it in the impish tilt of her lips.

Whatever that kiss had done to her, it hadn't unbalanced her completely. Unable to help himself, he smiled, keeping his gaze on hers and arched his eyebrows in inquiry. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

The reaction Austin had been expecting wasn't the one he got. Her smile faded and he saw the same vestiges of unease he'd seen on the dance floor when she'd first realized who he was. She broke eye contact, as if searching for the right answer before lifting her eyes to his once more. "I'll let you know," she told him softly.

"But I've seen you before?" He was certain of it, based on her initial reaction, but couldn't place her.

"Yes."

"Man," shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes roamed her features, searching for some clue he'd missed before now; except he'd already memorized her face. At least, her face around the mask; more than anything he wanted to reach up and remove it - to know who's kiss had ricocheted like a gunshot within him. "How could I have seen you before, and not know who you are now?"

"Maybe you were looking," she told him seriously, "but you weren't really seeing."

Not see her? He'd have had to been blind to miss such an angelic creature in his surroundings. Or was she trying to tell him something else? Saying, maybe, that tonight was different - that she'd come looking the way she did specifically for _him_ and didn't look quite so... Princess-like normally? Was it possible that this beautiful creature in his arms wasn't normally done up so lavishly? Probably, he conceded, looking at her thoughtfully. He'd have noticed her immediately if she went to school every day looking as she did now.

"Hey you've got one more question left."

Did he? Austin could have sworn he had two - but since they were playing this game of ten questions on her terms, she would have the final count. There was so much more he wanted to ask and in those few seconds when she'd drawn him from contemplation, one question that would bother him in a way no other would popped into his mind.

"Okay." Releasing her, he jumped back and turned. With a sharp move he plucked one of the fake pink roses from the sea of white and turned back towards her with a flourish, rose in hand. It made her laugh, the tension between them having slipped further and further to the peripheral, and he smiled as he took the rose in both hands, considering his words carefully.

"Do you, Princeton Girl-" oh to know her real name! "-feel like you made the right choice, meeting me here tonight?"

Tilting her head slightly, she kept her gaze on his as she considered his question, those hazel eyes dropping to his lips - and Austin felt as if he'd been electrified. Not even a touch and she'd been able to make his heart stutter in his chest. Those beautiful dark orbs traveled lower, to the rose in his hand, and with hesitant fingers she curled the tips around the stem. Lifting her gaze back to his with a smile, she deftly plucked the rose from his hands with a deliberate movement.

"I do."

Small words, but the way she said them made him feel a hundred feet tall.

"And do you, Austin Ames," he cocked his head at her as she hesitantly began a query of her own, noting the way she inhaled, as if bracing herself something unpleasant - and understood as she finished her question. "Ever want to see me again after tonight?"

It took every ounce of self control he'd ever learned around his father to withhold the smile that threatened to break forth at her words. She wanted to see _him_ again - that's what her question was really saying - and it made him want to shout his answer; but he didn't. Instead, he couldn't resist teasing her - not because he knew she could withstand it, but because she deserved it after flaunting the fact they'd met before but being unwilling to reveal her identity to him.

Looking away - he'd never have kept a straight face otherwise - he tensed his jaw muscles as he appeared to consider her question. "Well, I'd have to think about that."

She made a soft, amused sound of incredulity that cracked his control and her smile as she realized he was teasing was priceless. Bending forward ever so slightly so he could look her in the eye, his expression was deliberately serious so she couldn't mistake his honesty. Softly - and barely resisting the temptation to touch her as he folded his hands together behind his back - he held her gaze with his own.

"Absolutely."

The pure _pleasure_ that his words set aglow in her eyes was his undoing - that and the way her gaze dropped of its own accord to his lips as her body swayed towards his. There was no mistaking the nervousness that had entered those hazel orbs once again, but this time Austin understood. It was an echo of the e-mail he'd received this morning; she was afraid of his rejection, despite his assurances.

Lifting his hands to her face, he could read that she'd accept his attempt to unmask her at that moment; she was ready for him to know who she was. But, as much as he wanted to know, he couldn't resist stepping forward. Her head was tilted to his at an angle that practically begged for a kiss - and it would have taken a stronger man than he to resist.

Their gazes locked as one hand rose to cup her face, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek, and he lowered his head to hers. Their lips touched, chastely, and she stood still as Austin stepped into her body. It forced her head to tilt, or risk breaking the contact - and she moved with him.

His free arm snaked about her waist, drawing her fractionally closer and giving her support as she stood on her toes, her hands curling about the lapels of his jacket. That she was likely crushing the velvet didn't matter; all that mattered as that she was kissing him back. Shyly, but without reservation, her lips moving sweetly under his and rocking him back on his heels.

While the most innocent kiss he'd ever received, it was like being branded; it was a kiss he'd never forget and one that - unbeknownst to him - would haunt him in the days to come.

A high pitched beeping sounded somewhere at the edge of conscious thought but it was the sudden rigidity of the young woman in his arms as she pulled away that brought him back to earth. Looking down into her face, Austin saw something completely unexpected - the stirrings of devastation.

"What is it?"

"I've gotta go."

"_Now_?" His finger tips caressed her cheek and she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, I can't-"

"Hey, it's okay."

"No it's not," she looked almost frantic and he let her go reluctantly. Stepping swiftly beyond his reach, she adjusted her skirt with a flick of her wrists. "I can't be late."

"Late for what?"

Princeton girl stopped in the doorway of the gazebo, one foot on the planked floor, the other on the pathway. She looked torn - and adorably flustered - at the thought of leaving. Her smile was apologetic. "Reality."

She started to turn, running away towards the entrance - taking the route they hadn't come from to get back inside. Still reeling from her kiss, he didn't initially process what was happening until she was almost out of sight; and by then it was almost too late. He didn't yet know her name or who she was and he'd foolishly taken the opportunity to unmask has as one to kiss her instead. Taking off at a run after her, Austin knew only one thing; he couldn't let her get away.

What he didn't yet realize, was that it wasn't up to him and never had been. It was a lesson he was about to learn the hard way.

_fin_


	15. Chance Encounter

**Chance Encounter**

Austin settled back into the booth as the girl who'd been serving their table - he recognized her from school but didn't know her name - skated away, back towards the counter with the un-served iced teas Shelby and David had ordered. She hadn't deserved their cruelty and would have been well within her rights to insist they pay for the drinks they'd ordered - but she hadn't. Didn't want to be in their debt - in _his_ debt? He was guilty by proxy, for associating with people who didn't give her any kind of respect.

After her quick, feisty comebacks to Shelby's inquiries, he was starting to think she deserved far more than she got.

Heads turned, his included, as a young man dressed as Zorro stepped into the Diner and announced his presence with a dramatic snap of his cape. "Have no fear... _Zorro_, is here!"

Shaking his head at the display, Austin cracked a smile as he rose to his feet. He couldn't help but stare as the dashing young man underwent a change - from heroic, dashing figure, to little boyish - as he raced towards the blonde girl who'd returned to the counter nearby, "and he has the keys to his dad's Mercedes - you're not going to the dance as a buss girl, are you?"

With a chuckle to himself as he shook his head, Austin headed for the counter - and the girl's dejected response gave him pause. "Carter... I'm not going."

"What? What do you mean you're not going?" The boy dropped his voice so Austin couldn't hear what was said after the fact - but whatever it was the girl looked distraught.

Knowing his friends were waiting outside, he pulled some bills from his pocket, all the while knowing it wouldn't make a difference except to assuage the feeling of guilt for the way they'd mistreated her - and froze when Rhonda's incredulous repetition of Carter's words blindsided him.

"_Cyber dude_? Is he talking about the boy who's been sending you those love notes?"

"Rhonda they're not love notes; they're e-mails."

Out of their direct line of sight, Austin slid next to the counter and listened in unabashedly - not because they were talking about e-mails and cyber space buddies, he told himself silently, but because he didn't want to interrupt. They'd be done their discussion soon enough and he could give her the tip then; that he could have simply left it on the table seemed to have escaped his notice.

"Sam, if a man is taking his time to write down his feelings for you, it's a love note." Rhonda told the younger girl with authoritative certainty. "You've got a secret admirer."

Not a regular occurrence, Austin figured based on the way Rhonda was teasing the girl named Sam. Sam. He watched her as she smiled a slightly goofy smile and rolled her eyes. She was cute when she smiled that way, he realized suddenly. It was a realization that came from left field and one that had him starting to his feet once more.

"And he wants to meet her," Carter was saying, his tone implying something more to this meeting than he was saying - and sending a bolt of disbelief through Austin as he finished. "Tonight at the _dance_."

He barely caught the last of Zorro's words as low as they were pitched, and he completely missed Rhonda's or Sam's reactions as the realization of what he was listening to struck him. Turning the details of what he'd just heard over and over in his mind, combined with the fact that Carter was in costume, Austin came to one, inescapable and unreal conclusion.

_No way_.

_Was _Sam _Princeton Girl?_ _Was it possible?_ Entirely; he knew she went to his school - their paths crossed frequently enough for it - but... _she_ was his chat partner? It seemed unreal; and the only way was to ask her. But he didn't dare - not here.

He tuned back in just as Sam was getting a pep talk from Rhonda and the rest of the Diner staff about doing something for herself for a change - that she _deserved_ it - and took the opportunity to slip away. If Sam was Princeton Girl, he'd find out soon enough; there were five hours between now and when he was supposed to meet her in the center of the dance floor.

Stepping outside, he found Ryan and David waiting for him at his car. With a click of his keys, he unlocked it for them, glancing back to see Sam being pulled towards the back of the Diner by Rhonda and Zorro. To get her ready for the dance?

"Dude, what're you staring at?"

Snapping back to reality, Austin crossed the parking lot to join his friends. "Nothing."

Dropping the two of them off to get ready, Austin headed home as he considered what he was about to do - and who he was likely about to meet. The girl his friends affectionately called 'Diner Girl' - a girl who held no social standing at school, was part of no group except the 'geeks' and outcasts... and one that spent the better part of her precious self-time talking to him. Parking his car in the driveway - no need to put it in the garage - Austin killed the engine and tilted his head back to stare at the roof.

Should he meet her?

If Sam really was Princeton Girl, he had the answer he'd been looking for - he knew who his chat buddy was. But it wasn't fair to leave her in the dark. Unless she already knew who he was and had been playing him from the start. Which, even as he thought it, he dismissed. He didn't know _Sam_ well enough to know how she thought, but he knew Princeton Girl - and Princeton Girl would never do something like that; she knew what it was like.

Which implied that _Sam_ knew what it was like - which made the harassment his friends put her through all the more uncomfortable for him. That she fought back on occasion was a testament to her character - but who was she? Climbing out, he headed for the house and straight to his room. His year book from the year before was on one of the shelves by his computer and he pulled onto his desk as he settled into his computer chair.

Flipping it open, he turned to last year's class... and began to search. What he found over the course of the next couple of hours - keeping one eye on the clock - was surprising. She'd been an honor and achievement role junior the year before, doing two years in the course of one. She made honorable mentions in several sections, hadn't been a part of any teams but someone had snapped a picture that seemed familiar of her with a bat in hand... and Austin suddenly realized why.

She'd been the girl who'd hit the home run that afternoon.

Shaking his head, his lips kicking into a half smile, he continued to read. Sam, to his surprise, had been listed as a student to watch in senior year who would be the most likely to succeed. That honor was plastered right next to his 'most likely to earn a scholarship' and someone - it looked like Shelby - had scrawled her signature over top of Sam's picture.

Flipping through to the class portraits, he marveled at just how much she hadn't changed, running his index finger over her name. Sam - Samantha Montgomery according to the year book.

Closing it, Austin tossed it towards his bed and checked the time. Just after nine - time for him to get ready. His gaze strayed to the costume hanging on the back of his door - he'd picked it up that morning after extending his invitation to Princeton Girl the night before - and considered his options. He'd told David and Ryan he'd lost his Three Musketeers outfit - which wasn't exactly true - and could always claim he'd found the missing parts... but he didn't have any inclination of being part of a trio.

Much as he enjoyed it normally, tonight wasn't about him and his friends - it was about him and Princeton Girl - Sam, if that's who she in fact was. Pushing out of his chair, his decision made, Austin reached for the Prince Charming costume and took a deep breath. If Sam _was_ Princeton Girl, they'd have to talk away from the crowds and he had every intention of monopolizing her - popular or not.

Their reputations aside - his as a jock, hers as a brain - they were just people, right? People who'd spent the better part of the last two months getting to know one another without prejudice or preconceived notions. A part of him wondered why it should it matter now - and, he could admit it to himself, he was _curious_ to know her in person. That, and to see what she'd show up in for the dance.

Before he'd realized who she likely was, he'd had every intention of looking his best - and that hadn't changed. Would she do the same? Collecting his costume, Austin headed for the shower to do just that; if Sam _was_ Princeton Girl, he intended to give her no reason to doubt his excitement in meeting her. Looks, he knew better than most, could be deceiving.

It took just under an hour and a half for Austin to get ready; upon his arrival at the Valley Royale Hotel, he took a couple of minutes to walk the grounds before entering to find his friends. Nerves were minimal and the time in between inadvertently overhearing Sam and Carter's discussion and actually arriving at the dance he'd had a chance to think - to consider what he was about to do... to _knowingly_ embark on the pursuit of a girl none of his friends would accept; at least not initially.

Everything, he suspected, would depend on Sam - Princeton Girl - and her reaction to his identity.

Austin had only been at the dance for about fifteen minutes - which put him five minutes to eleven - when _she_ arrived; an angel cloaked in white satin wearing a half mask to hide her features. Not just arrived, but arrived alone and unescorted. She paused regally at the top of the stairs, like the Princess she appeared to be, surveying her kingdom before taking that first step down.

Anticipation made his palms sweaty as Austin watched her descend, comparing her with the girl he'd seen at the Diner; and finding few similarities. Could he have been wrong? Was Sam _not_ Princeton Girl - or was it simply that she was capable of looking this good and never had? Or was Princeton Girl already there and he just hadn't recognized her yet?

Biding his time, he watched as Carter - dressed as Zorro; which meant the girl _had_ to be Sam - escorted the Princess through the crowd to the center of the dance floor. Stalking her through the crowd, her blonde hair a beacon among dark colored masks, Austin reviewed what he knew as the events that were unfolding before him confirmed his suspicions. One feature matched with the girl from the Diner; though he'd never seen it shine that particular color before. Not, he admitted silently, that he'd ever paid it or her much mind before.

He watched as the odd boy from his physics class - dressed as Neo from the Matrix - intercepted her before he could step in to discover if he was correct. Sam, to her credit, held her ground on the dance floor, managing to get the Neo wannabe to desert leave her be. It was his chance - she was still smack in the center of the dance floor and no other girl had tried to take that spot. Taking a deep breath, Austin approached her from behind - and forced himself to ask the question rather than state it.

"Princeton Girl?"

She stiffened as he watched, turning, and Austin saw the smile that had begun to spread across her lips die as she took in his identity.

"Austin _Ames_?"

He almost winced at how affronted she sounded. Did she hate him? It certainly sounded like it - and it wasn't a contingency he'd planned for.

"_You're _Nomad?"

"_Yeah_..." He smiled faintly, regarding her intently. "I guess _my_ costume doesn't do a very good job of hiding who I am."

"No... I..." she stopped and her lips firmed, as if she was digesting some unwelcome information. "I know _exactly_ who you are. I'm sorry; this was a really big mistake. I've gotta go."

And it was in those words that he recognized the girl from the Diner. She pulled no punches and wasn't afraid to speak her mind; Sam was Princeton Girl. She turned, gathering her skirt and started to walk away, leaving him in the center of the dance floor; and Austin had barely seconds to consider his options.

He could let her go or he could go after her.

If he let her walk away now, he doubted she'd ever speak to him again - and he couldn't let that happen. She was a life line, no matter her identity, to who he wanted to be - to who he was on the inside - and he couldn't let that go. He couldn't let _her_ go without trying. "Wait!" Darting after her, he weaved between his costumed class mates. "Wait!" Managing to grab her arm, he pulled her to a stop and positioned himself between her and the stairs. "Wait... it's not a mistake."

She glared at him, her eyes hard as she spread one arm wide. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Of course I do," he assured her firmly. "You're _Princeton Girl_; you're the girl I've been waiting to meet - I know _exactly_ who you are." She looked unconvinced, and Austin leaned down so he wouldn't be overheard, his lips tilting into a charming, confident smile. "Sam."

Her eyes widened behind the mask and she took a step back in surprise.

"Your sweet libations, my lady."

Austin turned a hard look at the young man who's dared to interrupt them at that moment, well aware that Sam was silently reeling from his revelation. "Mister Anderson."

"Austin _Ames_-" did everyone hate him so much they had to say his name that way? "-with the Lady. A devastating blow! A worthy opponent."

His eyebrows almost hit his hairline as 'Neo' curtsied gracefully with his cape and turned without further comment - just a long look at the Princess. Austin turned his gaze back Sam's way to find her watching him warily, her eyes darting to the sides as if she was considering a retreat.

"Walk with me?"

"I don't think I should. Your girlfriend-"

"Ex-girlfriend; it's over."

She sighed and Austin saw her defenses wavering.

"Just off the dance floor," he wheedled, "To the punch table?"

Sam conceded with a sharp nod of her head and Austin used his greater size to make way for her, letting her lead, but using his arms to push apart the crowd. They walked in silence, exiting the crowd by the refreshment table, but not standing so close to it as to impede access. They were, surprisingly, in a zone where the music wasn't so loud they couldn't communicate. He searched her features as they stopped, turning to stand in front of her.

"I take it you were expecting some guy who hangs out at Starbucks and writes poetry."

"Something like that."

He would have given _anything_ to know what she was thinking at that moment. She was less than impressed and on the defensive - not that he could really blame her. Sam, the girl his friends called 'Diner Girl' had never been someone he'd paid any attention to offline.

"Come on; you're _Austin Ames_. You're football Captain and Student Body President and... Closet poet?"

Was that so hard to imagine? Sam's reaction to his identity was about the reaction he was expecting his father to have... if he ever told him. Why wouldn't she be just as shocked? It wasn't as if he'd ever made his passion for the written word known to anyone - except her. He should have been expecting her incredulity, but somehow it came as something of a shock. She _knew _him; his identity shouldn't matter - should it?

"You can't be both guys."

"I'm not."

"Then who are you?"

If someone had told him that morning he would be spending part of his Homecoming dance trying to convince _Sam_ to give him a chance, he'd have laughed about it. But the hours in-between learning who she was until now had braced him for this; and it was exactly what he deserved. _How_ to convince her or something she already knew? Searching his memory, he called upon their history - something only she could possibly know - to coerce her.

"On September 7th, I wrote you; I live in a world full of people pretending to be something they're not," he caught her gaze and held it. "but when I talk to _you_-" he paused, seeing the recognition in her eyes and wasn't disappointed when she finished the quote.

"I'm the guy I wanna be."

"Gimmie a chance to be that guy." The way she tilted her head signaled that her resistance was thawing so he pressed his advantage all the while never breaking the crucial eye contact; somehow he senses if he did, she'd run. "Do you wanna join me for a stroll outside?"

"If you wanna be voted Homecoming Prince, you'd better stay inside and be seen, ya know?"

Rolling his eyes, Austin shook his head with an honest laugh. "I _really_ don't care about becoming Homecoming Prince."

Sam sighed, and he could see her fighting with herself, weighing the pros and cons of accepting his offer. Pushing his luck - it was after all what he seemed to do best - Austin extended his hand to her; he wanted to get out outside and away from everyone. Not only so she could remove her mask - it looked great with her costume, but he wanted to see her face - but so that they could talk. _Really_ talk; without the danger of being interrupted.

To his delight, she extended her hand towards his before closing them in a fist, fighting her own desire to go with him. He waited, looking at her expectantly, his tone turning pleading. "Please, Sam?"

Whatever the reason, his plea seemed to break down the last of her defenses. With a quick move, she placed her hand in his and let him lead her through the lower level below the stairs and into the warm night air. Offering her his hand, Austin helped her up a small flight of stairs and out into the decorated pathways around the hotel. Sam pulled her hands back as quick as she could, as if reluctant to touch him and it stung almost as much as her initial reaction had.

Walking in silence, she - surprisingly - was the first to break it. "Was I that obvious?"

"In what way?"

"Who I am?"

"No." Austin laced his fingers together behind his back. "I don't think anyone except Carter knows who you are."

"Then how did _you_ know?" Stopping, she turned to look at him quizzically. "You don't even know me."

"I know Princeton Girl," he admitted, looking down at her. "But Sam is a mystery to me. All I know about you is what I've read in last year's year book."

"Which wasn't much, right?"

"Right. You don't have to keep wearing your mask, you know."

"You don't mind being seen with me?"

"What, with the most beautiful girl here?" his tease was light, his lips kicking into a half smile. "There's no one out here but us."

Sam reached up and did just that, plucking the mask from her face with deft fingers. "You haven't answered my question."

Without the mask, Austin would have known her on sight; she was no less lovely for the lack of it - in fact, he privately admitted she was even more so without it. But he was still stunned with how _different_ she looked with a little color on her face and her hair done up. "Which one?"

"If my costume is so good, how did you know who I was?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Austin sighed - and decided that telling her the truth was probably the best way out of the situation. Not only did she deserve to know, but anything _but _the truth would sound ridiculously fabricated. "I overheard you talking to Carter and Rhonda at the Diner this evening."

"I thought you were gone."

"I was going to, but I felt bad for the way the guys had treated you so I stayed back to talk to you." He resumed walking and she fell in step with him again. "I was heading towards the counter when Zorro announced himself."

"And you what, just stayed to listen?"

"I didn't mean to; and if I'd been anyone _but_ me, I doubt your conversation would have made much sense anyway." Austin sighed. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you have _no_ idea how badly I've wanted to know who you are. I heard _'cyber dude' _coupled with the word _'e-mails'_ and couldn't help myself."

"Oh." Color flooded Sam's cheeks and he could see that she was remembering what had been said earlier. "So... you knew and you came anyway."

"I wanted to see if I was right... and it would have been impolite not to when I'm the one who extended the invitation." They reached the end of one walkway and Austin directed her to the left so they could continue their discussion. "Or to leave you to Neo's mercy."

Sam laughed. "Terry means well; and he _did_ admit to being Nomad before you showed up."

"Terry?" He didn't have to feign the horrified look that crossed his face. "And you believed him?"

"I didn't know what to expect," was her pointed reminder. "Unlike you, I didn't have any inkling as to who you were until you called me Princeton Girl on the dance floor."

"What, the USC football comments never gave it away?"

"Right; there are what, thirty guys on your team?"

"Something like that."

"I figured it _might_ be one of them, but was more leaning towards someone who'd been cut or injured. _You_ however, weren't even a remote possibility."

"Why not?"

"Come on; no one - not even your _dad_ - would believe me if I showed them the logs of our chats."

She had a point. "How about David or Ryan - did they make your list?"

"List?" He'd amused her. "I didn't have a list - and no they didn't. I don't even have to ask to see if I made yours."

"I guess we both got a bit of a shock, huh?" Austin quieted for a minute and then smiled. "Would you rather I have been Neo?"

Sam laughed, the sound uninhibited and delighted. "If you hadn't stepped in when you had, I probably would have left - and spoken very little to you instead."

"Even after I told you I hadn't met you?"

"Until then," she conceded, "though you would have had a heck of a time proving it since I'd always be picturing Terry at the other end of the keyboard."

"I'd have just told you the truth and then come and found you," he grinned down at her. "All in the fairness of knowing who sits at the other end of the chat window of course."

"Of course." She shared his smile... which slowly faded. "Were you... disappointed when you figured out who I was?"

"Honestly?"

Sam nodded, but he could see the tension in her shoulders.

"How could I be disappointed when I don't even you? I mean, I know you as Princeton Girl, not Sam... so I was more curious than anything." He smiled, trying to put her at ease. "How about you; were you disappointed when you found out that I was Nomad?"

"Surprisingly... no."

They shared a smile, strangers who weren't really strangers, as they continued to walk down the pathway. Turning down the next walk, a gazebo and gardens drifted into view and Austin led her that way. They continued to walk in that direction more focused on one another than their destination.

"Can I ask you something, Sam?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"If you're expecting an answer."

He smiled at her cheekiness - it was the third time that day he'd glimpsed her feisty side. "Only if you want to."

"Then go ahead."

"Will asking you to dance-" they stepped out from between the hedges and into a clearing with a gazebo, "-get me another taste of your sharp tongue?"

The look she sent his way as they took those last few steps to the gazebo was priceless. "There's no music."

Grinning, he extended his arms to the sides before helping her in. "So?"

"So? How do you intend to keep time without music?"

With a half bow, he extended his hand to her in silent challenge. "Humor me and find out."

Sam, he was learning, enjoyed a challenge - and she took his hand with a firm grip. "You're not going to step on my toes, are you?"

Laughing, Austin shook his head. "Only if you step on mine."

The challenge issued - and accepted - Austin started out slow as he smiled down at her. Sam followed easily, her lips tilted in a disbelieving smile; he'd surprised her. They shared a grin and then both looked to the side of the strains of a guitar playing a familiar tune drifted to them.

With a grin and a laugh, Sam tossed her head, "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Contrary to their convenient appearance, I didn't plan this." The look she shot him was so disbelieving, he smiled sheepishly. "Not _them_ anyway."

"No?" Visibly delighted with his honesty, she couldn't seem to resist teasing him. "Adding 'Romantic' to the title of Football Captain, Student Body President and Closet Poet isn't that much of a stretch."

"But it _is_ a bit of a mouthful." Grasping her hand firmly, Austin twirled her in place as she laughed and followed his lead. Her laughter was unlike Shelby's giggle - uninhibited and delighted - and made him smile in return. Slowing her spin, he braced himself and dipped her, meeting her gaze seriously. "I think I like Nomad better."

Her smile faded as he righted her slowly, the mood shifting from an almost playful challenge, to something more serious. Something... charged.

Awareness crackled between them as if someone had flipped a switch. The softness of her skin under his fingers tips suddenly leapt to his attention; the scent she wore teased his nose and trickled into his subconscious to be forever associated with her; the sound of her breathing as it hitched, caught up in the byplay between them.

Austin's gaze fell to her lips - which had slightly parted as if she couldn't catch her breath... and then his own seemed to lodge somewhere between his lungs and his throat as the tip of her tongue darted out. The slide of it as it crossed the seam of her lips - as if in slow motion - was like having someone take an ice cube and running it down his spine; he felt it clear to his toes.

"Sam..."

Her name was a plea on his lips; a plea for release, or maybe absolution, as his hands released her only to lift and brush the line of her jaw with his thumbs. She remained motionless with the caress, only her luminescent hazel eyes widening as if she understood the intention behind the gesture. And maybe she did, even if she'd never before experienced it.

_She's never been kissed._

The thought returned unbidden and was as tempting as it was daunting; did he dare? Would she want him to? Did she want her first kiss to be from him?

Somehow, he found restraint; if she wanted him to kiss her, she would have to make the first move. To give him some sign beyond the instinctual wetting of her lips. He was certain she hadn't realized she'd done it. His breath refused to dislodge as his heart turned over in his chest; she was achingly lovely and so very tempting - and this time her name was a hoarse question. "Sam?"

Her eyes darkened to a burnished copper color with the last utterance of her name and she looked completely undecided, torn between taking that chance with her eyes open... or not. The memory of the day before when he'd invited her to this dance was fresh in his mind and he could see the same memories in hers. She was remembering his comments...

Uncertainty flickered in the depth of her gaze and by some miracle Austin was able to step away, giving her to space she appeared to need. Swallowing hard to try and bring some equilibrium back to his world, and moisture back to his mouth, he averted his gaze for a moment to break the link that seemed to blaze with a life of its own.

It didn't help.

"Austin?" He looked back to her and found determination and a touch of nervousness in her expression - but no fear; she knew what she was doing... maybe. She held her hand out to him. "My dance isn't over yet."

Was she _trying_ to kill him? In close proximity to her, like this - in this romantic setting - he wasn't sure if he could resist temptation a second time... and then she smiled. His will power crumbled at the challenge in her expression and with a quick step had her back in his arms.

Their dance resumed, the soft strains of the guitar guiding him more than thought, his gaze locked on hers. He couldn't interpret what he saw in their depths and when she laughed softly when he twirled her, delight was obvious. While he still felt as if he were walking on egg shells, she'd accepted the tension between them and seemed determined to enjoy herself.

Spinning her out, Austin spun her in a series of turns as fast as her gown would allow and then dipped her back over his right arm with a grin as she let out a squeak, unbalancing them both. He'd made her dizzy. Off balance with the unexpected move, Sam almost pulled them both to the ground - except Austin was able to brace himself, taking her weight with only a slight stutter in his step as he went down on one knee. The hand still in his clutched him as a life line, the fingers of her other hand knotted firmly around his bicep - and she had enough of a grip for him to realize she was stronger than she looked.

Sam took in their position as she regained her sense of balance and then surprised him; where Shelby would have blasted him for such a stunt, Sam did no such thing. Her head tilted back - revealing a column of soft, smooth, unblemished skin - and she laughed. Her whole body shook with how hard she laughed - her gaze coming back to his and the way her eyes danced, and the very _joy_ she seemed to find in their position bled off, infecting him. A chuckle started softly, growing in strength until he was laughing along with her.

Using his upper body strength, Austin managed to get her back to her feet before regaining his own, a grin he couldn't help firmly planted on his lips. "I finally got to hear you laugh – really laugh."

Her eyes widened and she laughed again, her answering tone teasing. "You didn't have to do _that_ to get it."

"It was worth it."

Adjusting the skirts of her dress, Sam smiled back at him as Austin bent down to sweep her mask from the floor of the gazebo - it had fallen when she'd lost her balance. He was running his fingers over the rhinestones on the edge of one eye slot when a loud, high pitched beeping sound interrupted whatever Sam would have answered. Her smile froze in place and he _swore_ she stamped her foot as she glared at her skirt.

"What's that?"

"My alarm; I've gotta go."

"Now?"

"Yeah," she held her hand out for the mask - but he didn't relinquish it. "I'm not supposed to be here."

Austin arched his eyebrows. "It's the Homecoming dance; where else would you be?"

"Working," she admitted. "Fiona will have my head if she finds out I've been here."

"Can I drive you?"

Sam bit her lip and glanced back towards the hotel - and he could read her answer in the slumping of her shoulders. "You'd better not. It'd look a little suspicious if you dropped me back and we were even a minute late. Carter I can explain, but you..."

It was but one more one time Austin wished he wasn't so popular. "You'd better go then." Reluctantly, he held out her mask. As she moved to take it, he changed his mind and stepped in close. "Allow me."

Surprised, Sam froze as Austin gently placed the mask over her face and then anchored it with the elastic band around the back of her head. Her eyes widened impossibly as his fingers brushed the hair around her face until he smiled down at her, satisfied she looked the same as when she'd come in; he'd _never_ forget that image if he lived to be a hundred. "There."

"Austin..."

"You'd better go; are you sure I can't take you?"

Sam nodded, gathering up her skirts. "Thank you for such an amazing night."

"You too." Leaning in, he caught her by surprise as he brushed his lips over her cheek. "Let's do it again sometime, okay?"

She seemed poised to tell him otherwise and then simply shook her head and turned, taking off at a run with her skirt held high. There was no mistaking the frustration in that shake of her head or the way she'd seemed inclined to contradict him - as if to say that there couldn't be anything more beyond tonight. That they were too different to last beyond that night even though he _knew_ that wasn't the case.

He knew who she was now, a secret between the two of them since she hadn't revealed her identity to anyone else - and Carter didn't count - and he wasn't about to let her hide behind her keyboard. He'd had a taste of Sam's personality up close and already he craved more. She challenged him to think, to be - and any relationship they might embark upon would force him to grow.

It would have its share of ups and downs, he was certain as he headed back inside at his own pace, but in the end they'd be stronger for it. Now, he just had to convince her of that...

_fin_


	16. Friendly Intervention

**Vig #16 - Friendly Intervention**

"Trust me, he's forgotten _all_ about Cinderella by now."

Sam's insistence was immediately contradicted as she stopped before him, and Carter saw her jaw drop. Plastered on every available surface were flyers. Not just any flyers, but flyers completely obliterating Sam's earlier conviction. Carter laughed shortly, shaking his head.

"Yeah," he told her dryly. "He's obviously forgotten all about you."

Sam cast him a look that was slightly stunned and Carter shook his head again as he followed her towards her locker. She had _no_ idea just how good she'd looked last night and even if she had an _inkling_, he doubted she'd have believed it without thorough persuasion. Sam had confidence in herself for a lot of things, but her looks weren't one of them and he knew Fiona had played a large part in that. Not once had Sam's stepmother done a thing to help her explore the feminine side of her; not that Sam had _wanted_ Fiona to, but still...

Leaving Sam at her locker, with a promise to meet her for lunch, Carter headed for his own - pausing by the billboard next to it to examine the flyer closer. Austin had added his personal cell number to the tear away strips - and Carter couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration for the guy. He was willing to put up with the crank callers, the hoaxes and the Cinderella-wannabes to simply find her again. Glancing left and right, Carter reached up to tear the strip containing Austin's number from the base of the flyer and pocketed it.

He knew Sam well enough to know that she'd never get the courage up to tell Austin herself; not today, not tomorrow and certainly not any time soon - but Carter well remembered the way Austin had been looking at her before they'd disappeared from the dance floor. There had been a pleading expression on his face - a yearning so stark Carter only hoped he'd one day be able to emulate it for a performance.

That look, coupled with Austin's determination to locate Sam, had spawned the idea he was now contemplating as Carter opened his locker to retrieve his books for his first class. Without help, Sam was unlikely to inform Austin of her identity and since no one else - except Rhonda - knew who she'd been, that left the gap up to him. Not, he acknowledged silently, that he should interfere but if he didn't, Sam would never know if Austin was capable of accepting her that way she had accepted him.

After Sam's almost non-stop discourse regarding the dance and how _nothing_ could ever come from it, Carter wondered how his friend ever expected to date if she didn't take a chance. Austin wasn't the person Carter would have chosen for her - before he'd discovered Nomad's real identity - but he was just what Sam needed. Nomad had an effect on Sam that Carter had _never_ before seen... and if that effect was something Austin could affect, then he needed to know who she was.

Decision made, Carter closed his locker and flipped open one of his notebooks. He waited until he was seated in his first class before penning the note to leave for Austin. Writing in block letters, he considered what exactly to say and immediately decided on short and to the point. No one need ever know that Austin had discovered Sam's identity from him.

Tearing the sheet free, Carter folded it in half and then labeled it in the same block letters for "Prince Charming" - he'd slip it into Austin's locker when he got the chance.

Only later, just before he was sliding the note between the slates of the metal door, did Carter pause and change his mind. Flipping the note open, he signed it and then refolded it to push it inside. Austin would likely get a lot of strange notes or comments as to who his Cinderella was - but Carter also knew he'd get only one from Zorro... and that one, he hoped, would be taken seriously.

----------

Austin opened his locker at lunch hour - and stopped as a single, white sheet of paper floated down from where it had been trapped between the door and frame. Putting his books inside, he bent to scoop the paper from the floor, turning it over in his hands and unable to stop the sudden skip of his heartbeat as he examined to whom it was addressed.

His fingers trembled as he practically tore it open, scanning the message inside - and staring.

_Samantha Montgomery is your Cinderella_

_ -Zorro_

Samantha Montgomery? Who was she? The name was unfamiliar... _Montgomery_... a tickle of a memory teased the back of his mind, but refused to come to the forefront.

"Hey bro, do we _have_ to put up flyers over lunch hour? Shelby and her girls are wearing these wicked hot bikinis to lounge by the pool."

Austin snapped the paper shut as David's hand landed on his shoulder and stuffed it into his pocket. "What was that?"

Ryan laughed, shaking his head. "You're so caught, man. I've never seen you get so tied up over some chick before."

Austin managed a smile, something about the note and the way it had been left warning him that asking about Samantha probably wasn't a good idea. No; before he asked, Austin intended to do a little research of his own. "If you guys wanna skip out, I've got a couple of leads I can follow up in the library."

"Already?" David whistled. "Wow, that was fast."

With a noncommittal shrug, Austin put his books in his locker and closed it. "I don't figure they're really her, but it doesn't hurt to check. Enjoy the pool guys."

Ryan and David exchanged grins, making a token effort to get him to join them, before disappearing and leaving him in peace.

Heading for the library, Austin took up his usual seat - one he'd occupied more often than not over the last few weeks - and logged into the school's network. Eschewing the usual chat link, he doubted Princeton Girl would be online anyway, he called up the online record book. Tugging the paper from his pocket, he smoothed it out and double checked the spelling on the last name he'd been provided.

Montgomery.

Carefully entering it into the search engine, he hit the enter button and sat back. There were a dozen entries for Montgomery that came up immediately and he scanned the list until he found the one he was looking for. Clicking on the link for one _Samantha Montgomery_, Austin's eyebrows rose as her picture appeared... and stared as he realized where he knew her from and how.

_Diner Girl_...

Was this some kind of joke? A prank? Someone who'd made the same connection between Zorro and his princess that he had and decided to exploit it.? Or was it remotely possible that the Zorro who'd signed the note was in fact Zorro from the dance? And Zorro, Austin reflected, was probably the _only_ person who knew who she was. Could the note be genuine - and if it was, why not just approach him directly?

He didn't know.

Staring at the picture of the smiling girl on the screen, Austin imagined her in his mind's eye with a half mask, her hair curled, dressed in white, a touch of shimmer and lip gloss - and grudgingly reflected that it was possible; more than possible. Samantha Montgomery looked eerily like his Princess.

Still...

Making a snap decision, Austin printed out her picture - using the forbidden color settings - along with her bio and hastily dashed to retrieve it before the librarian was any wiser. Scooping her photograph from the printer, he turned it over and headed back to his seat. To cover his tracks, he went back into the "Montgomery" section and began clicking on each one with a girl's name.

_Brianna._

Ah. That's why the name was familiar.

The short bio on the girl said she had a twin sister - Gabriella - and a step-sister... none other than Samantha Montgomery. Before he could stop himself, he printed out Brianna's bio page - minus the picture - then flipped over to Gabriella's and did the same. He used them to pad Samantha's picture and hide the color photo.

Logging off the computer, he stared at the papers in his hand for half a second before pushing away from the desk and heading for the door. Outside the library, he paused and looked about. The halls were relatively quiet as a few students moved this way and that, collecting items from their lockers or moving towards the cafeteria or courtyard.

_If I were Princeton Girl - _Samantha _- where would I be?_

The questions blindsided him, for he hadn't intended to look for her just yet but the longing to know for certain was hard to resist. A glance back into the library told him she wasn't there - which would have been his first guess - and he seriously considered the question and the implications. Confronting Samantha at school was out of the question; it left both of them too open to ridicule or worse. The thought that followed, that he knew where she worked, left him plenty of time and, considering she worked just about every day after school, he knew that going in to get coffee would be a good chance to observe her.

Yeah, that was a better choice; observe - if Samantha wasn't his Princess... he'd know.

----------

The Diner was close to packed when Austin arrived that night after football practice. David and Ryan had bowed out in favor of hanging with Shelby and her girls and trying some trendy new place; that suited him just fine. He preferred _not_ to have an audience while observing Sam anyway; his connection to his Cinderella was so intensely _personal_, he wasn't sure just how to showcase it around other people.

Admittedly, the first step had been the flyers, but he didn't know where exactly to go from here until he confirmed her identity.

Making his way through the Diner and dodging one of the waitresses, Austin caught sight of Samantha working the counter. Easing around one of the small tables, he ducked into the back corner near the washrooms and settled himself on one of the stools near the far end of the counter. It would be a few minutes, based on the people who held menus, before Samantha came his way and he took the opportunity to study her surreptitiously while looking as if he were perusing the menu.

The fish content was almost too much, even for him, and one of the dishes caught his eye - he laughed, quickly covering it with a cough. _Sushi and donuts - who does that?!_ Shaking his head, he slid the menu away; if he had to he'd order fries and work his way through them so slowly, he'd be there well past the rush. A quick glance away, he looked back to find that Samantha had disappeared and the older waitress - Eleanor - took her place.

"What can I get for you, honey?"

"Coke and fries."

"That all?"

Austin glanced around, his stomach suddenly reminding him that he hadn't eaten all day; his lunch hour had been spent cutting out white masks and trying to deny the incredible similarities between Samantha and his Cinderella when the mask was placed over her picture. He hadn't dared draw on the photo - even the thought of marring her face had made his stomach churn. "A cheeseburger with the works would be a nice side to those fries."

Eleanor laughed. "Comin' right up; you're in for a treat - it's Sam's turn at the grill and she makes a mean burger."

_Sam? As in, Samantha?_ He didn't answer as Eleanor skated away to place his order, looking about for Samantha again and failing to find her. A stretch to the side and a quick peer into the kitchen showed a blonde ponytail over a black t-shirt and he has a feeling he'd been right.

_Sam_antha was taking a turn at the grill. Sam. His lips kicked into a smile; it suited her better than Samantha. Eleanor, to his surprise, wasn't the one who brought his coke out with a smile. Rhonda, the un-official Manager who kept the Diner running smoothly, placed it before him and Austin had a feeling he was being sized up for something - but he didn't know what.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The moment was over almost as quickly as it had begun, and Austin couldn't help the uneasy feeling he'd been through some kind of test. Reaching for his Coke as Rhonda disappeared, he eyed her cautiously. Did she know why he was here? Suspect? How could she - unless she knew Princeton Girl; unless _Sam_ was Princeton Girl.

It wasn't until Sam was pushed out of the kitchen bearing a plate with a burger and fries and motioned in his direction that he realized just how unprepared for this meeting he was. _Sam_ looked nervous, glancing back with a shake of her head, only to be pushed once more. She made a comment he didn't hear before squaring her shoulders and starting towards him.

On skates, her gait didn't match the graceful movements of his Princess, but it wasn't her gait that held his attention. Instead, he found himself comparing her, doing a mental check list of traits from the dance, but it wasn't until she nervously bit her lip as she placed her meal in front of him and their gazes locked that he felt his first real flash of recognition.

He remembered those eyes.

"One plate of fries with a cheeseburger side."

Her previous nervousness seemed distinctly out of place with her now almost confident bravado. Keeping his gaze locked on hers, Austin nodded and smiled. "Thanks - I didn't realize how hungry I was until Eleanor said something."

"She's good like that," the blonde replied with a quirky tilt of her lips, seeming unable to tear her gaze away from his. "I swear she gets the best tips in the place."

"Eleanor does?"

She nodded. "Sure does. She's practically a fixture in this place."

"Like you."

Her blush was quick, and her gaze dropped to his plate, seeming to realize only at that moment that her fingers were still wrapped around the edge. She let go, looking anywhere but at him, and started to turn away. Her voice was familiar, eerily so, but he wasn't completely convinced it was simply because he _wanted _it to be. Searching for something, anything, to get her to stay and talk with him, her name slipped past his lips.

"Samantha-" Her gaze flew back to his in surprise and Austin caught a glimmer of real fear in their depths. "- right?"

"Just Sam; nobody except Terry calls me Samantha."

_Terry - Neo?_ "Your boyfriend?"

Her laughter was sudden and spontaneous - and quickly cut off, but the sound resounded within him in complete and undeniable recognition. Her laugh was the same as his Princess; _Sam was Princeton Girl_. And she was oblivious to the fact he'd just been given the piece of evidence he needed to confirm that fact.

"Boyfriend? No - though he might think he wants to be." Her gaze darted away as the bell from the kitchen sounded and turned to go. "I've got to get back to work."

He let her go, watching as she skated back to Rhonda, cast a glance his way, and then summarily pulled the Manager into the back with her. His lips kicked into a grin as his gaze dropped to the plate - and laughter escaped before he could stem it.

Before him was a large plate of fries and one of the smallest cheeseburgers - about half the size of a normal burger - he'd ever seen served at a Diner. A cheeseburger side; she'd taken his order literally.

He demolished that first in no more than four bites before sipping his Coke and regarding the other patrons. His fries, now that there was something in his stomach, were slower to disappear, and he watched people clear out as he nursed his Coke. Eleanor refilled it twice before he saw Sam again, her apron more grease smeared than before, but the sparkle he remembered seeing the night at the dance was back in her eyes.

Rhonda made a comment to her before Sam laughed, and headed in his direction; he needed another refill.

"More Coke?"

"Thanks." He watched as she collected the glass and slipped it under the machine's spout. "That cheeseburger side was pretty tasty."

"It was to your liking, was it?"

In more ways than one - it had also appealed to his sense of the ridiculous - but she wasn't ready to hear that yet. Austin nodded. "You should add it to your menu."

"Nah," a dimple appeared in one cheek. "Fiona would never approve it unless it was a salmon burger."

The underlying meaning of her words caught and held him and he spoke without really thinking of the consequences. "Because _you_ suggested it, you mean."

The glass jerked, almost spilling the Coke all over the fountain station as she was caught by surprise; she'd not expected him to get it. But the look she shot him was guarded as she placed the glass back in front of him, her fingers lingering on the curve. "Something like that."

He was catapulted back to Friday night and Princeton Girl's _exact_ comment - word for word, tone for tone - that Sam had just uttered. If he'd had any doubts left, that cinched it. No one had been close enough to hear their conversations and Sam _couldn't_ be so good of a mimic that she could echo something she'd never heard.

Sam was his Cinderella.

"You okay?"

"Fine." For someone who'd just had his every suspicion about a girl he barely knew outside of cyberspace confirmed. Reaching for his Coke, he took a long swallow and Sam was called away to serve a table on the far side of the Diner. She regarded him for a moment and then nodded once, turning to skate away.

The breather was exactly what he needed, but it still left him at a loss. What to do next? Confront her? Let her know that he knew who she was - or just get to know _Sam_ the way he knew Princeton Girl? Would she let him? He ducked his gaze back to his fries, missing the speculative look she sent his way, and popped one into his mouth to chew thoughtfully.

Whatever happened, he didn't want to scare her off and Austin suspected she'd run if he out and out confronted her with the facts he'd gathered. On the other hand, if he didn't, the chances of them getting to know one another better weren't good; Sam didn't run anywhere near his social circle and none of his so-called friends would readily accept her.

Left to his own devices, he considered his options and realized somewhat bleakly that this was the _one_ circumstance where being popular wasn't going to work in his favor but against him. If he started hanging out at the Diner regularly, it would be noted. If he started talking to Sam all of a sudden, that too would be noted - and commented upon. If he came to her defense when David and Ryan teased her, they'd never hear the end of it.

Was he ready for that - to catapult Sam, who was content to be on the fringes, into the limelight of high school drama? Because if he pursued her the way he was thinking he'd have to, there was no other outcome.

After a morning filled with anticipation, reality was a brutal slap in the face.

Pushing his fries away, his appetite gone, he looked Sam's way to see her conversing with the cook before disappearing into the back once more. Eleanor cleared away his dishes and dropped his bill on the counter. A quick glance showed that they'd practically charged him for nothing - points for being a good sport probably - and he reached for his wallet.

One quick stop at the till and a scrutinizing look from Rhonda later he was outside by his car - and so was Sam.

"You dropped this."

Startled by her appearance and suddenly closed expression, he accepted the folded piece of paper with the words "Prince Charming" emblazoned across the back with a wince. "Thanks."

Holding her ground, she searched his face for something, and Austin _knew_ in that moment she hadn't been able to resist opening the note. When his spoke, his quiet words were a statement instead of a question. "You read it."

"I did."

"It's a personal correspondence."

"It could have been a prank."

He knew an evasion when he heard one and a faint smile crossed his lips. "Unlike David and Ryan, I haven't ever been that cruel."

She shrugged, defensive, and glanced around the parking lot; it was only then he noticed her apron and skates were gone and she was dressed to leave. A quick glance at his watch showed just after 8; Rhonda must have let her off early for good behavior. He looked down at the note, slid his finger tips across the crease and then held it back out her way.

"What?"

"Zorro was right."

Her laughter was brittle, completely unlike anything he'd heard from her since their encounter. "Zorro has a good imagination. I was working on Friday; just ask anyone."

"Liar." The jerk of her head made it appear as if he'd struck her, but Austin persisted even as he tucked the letter away, into his pocket. "You may have been working when David, Ryan and I left - when Zorro came into the Diner and you were certainly back here for sometime around midnight, but you weren't here at some point between those hours."

"Oh really."

"Yeah," confident now - he could see the way her eyes glittered knowingly - he took half a step her way. "Really."

"Then just where was I?"

"Before eleven, I can only guess you were getting ready, but for forty five minutes - starting at eleven on Friday night in the middle of the dance floor - you were by my side, in my arms and agreeing to dance without music."

"Austin, I-"

"Zorro was right," he reiterated, cutting her off and easing forward just that much more. "There can't be two girls in our school with your smile and laugh; it would be illegal."

"Or I'd have a twin sister," she commented dryly, still holding her ground as he eased nearer; her comment made him smile.

"Which you don't."

There was no need for her to answer his question and Sam just shrugged instead. "That's not the point. Even if you were right and I was this Cinderella person-"

"Which you are."

"-there's nothing that can come of it anyway. Fantasy is sometimes better than reality - and I think in this case, it should have stayed that way."

Searching her expression, Austin felt a pang as he realized a part of him agreed with her. If she hadn't met him at the dance, none of this would be happening now and they'd still be blissfully - if overly frustrated - chatting until all hours of the morning. Yet, the larger part of him wasn't sorry; she was someone real in his intangible world and he wasn't about to give that up for anything.

"The upheaval isn't worth it, Austin."

There was fear in her eyes, he realized as her soft words registered, and pain in her voice. She was pushing him away before he could and she was doing it against her better instincts. "Isn't it?"

"Not when I'll be the target of the football team, cheerleading squad and whomever else there is at school who doesn't believe I'm worthy of _you_ if they get a hold of that message. Zorro meant well, but-"

"And if _I_ think you're worth it; doesn't that count for something?"

She stopped talking, her eyes widening, and he knew he'd caught her off guard. Seizing the moment, Austin balled his hands into fists to resist the urge to touch her and forged ahead. "High school isn't the end all be all, Sam; next year we'll both be at Princeton, away from all of this, and one day soon we'll look back and laugh about this. If you want to wait until then, I won't be happy about it, but I'll accept your decision. I would rather it be now; I want to get to know you outside cyber space. I want to hear you laugh again; to watch your eyes fill with excitement as we challenge each other to grow and move beyond who we are now to become the people we're going to be."

"Austin-"

"I know," he assured her, reading her expression correctly and understanding her hesitance. "I know. I want a lot of what seems like the impossible right now, don't I? I'll tell you what; I'll take down those Cinderella posters tomorrow and we'll take this back to cyber space until you're ready."

The silence that fell between them was stunned - but it didn't last. "You... would... Why?"

Why what? Wouldn't he fight for her? Beg her? He didn't understand what she was asking. "Why what, Sam?"

"Why would you do that?" She searched his gaze, confused. "I mean, I'm nobody-"

"No; you're not." Unable to help himself, he reached for her, his finger tips brushing across one of her cheeks. "You're Sam Montgomery - my Princeton Girl... if I can't have you outside of cyberspace right now, I'll settle for whatever way I can get you. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"But your reputation-"

"Is already in shreds; nothing we do can change that now." He smiled to ease the weight of the words, even though he knew far better than she did just what kind of treatment _he'd_ get when everyone realized he was giving up. "I only wish you'd told me at the dance so we could have avoided all of this."

"This what - the posters?"

"The hunt," he corrected. "I'd have preferred to have been camped out here in the corner booth all weekend while you were working and catching the odd bit conversation instead of worrying over your identity."

He'd rendered her speechless once again and forged ahead, sliding his hands over hers and running his finger tips over her forearms. "I know that's not how it turned out, but part of me wishes it had." She looked up - had to if she was going to continue standing her ground - and searched his expression for something. What, he didn't know, but he let her look.

"So... you don't regret this?"

"The only thing I regret is that we're going to have to take this slower than either of us would like."

Indignation and elation flared in her eyes as she tugged free of his hold and took a step back. "Now wait just one second; who ever said _I_ was willing to participate in this exercise in humiliation? I may not have your kind of reputation to lose, but that doesn't mean I'm eager to jump into the deep end of the ridicule pool!"

Laughing, Austin closed the gap between them once more. "That's why we'd have to take this slow. Of course... everyone knows I'm crazy about you, Sam - everyone except you."

She let the admission pass, but he saw the flicker of pleasure she tried to hide in her eyes. "Crazy about _Cinderella_ you mean."

"Cinderella, Princeton Girl, Sam Montgomery - they're all the same person; they're all you. People just don't know your real name yet."

"Let's keep it that way as long as possible, okay?"

"Will you grant me a concession or two?"

Sam arched her eyebrows.

"The same online relationship we've had for months," he paused for a moment and she nodded, a sparkle in her eye as if it were what she wanted too - or so he hoped. "A chance to get to know you offline, even if it's just something like this... and the odd phone call instead of just texting."

A guilty flush stole over her cheeks. "I lost my cell phone at the dance."

"I have it."

"Oh - can I have it back, then?"

His lips kicked into a half smile. "Do I get something in return?"

"You're already asking for concessions; don't push your luck."

"Then perhaps..." Cupping her face in one hand, he rubbed his thumb over her cheek as he searched her gaze, "perhaps 'tis better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission."

"Aus-"

Sam was cut off as his head came down, his lips brushing ever so softly across hers - just as he'd been aching to do since their dance in the gazebo on Friday. It was a soft kiss, Austin acutely aware that Sam had never before been kissed and achingly certain he didn't want to scare her away. Short and light as it was, it was a kiss that tilted his world upside down.

Lifting his head, he stared down into her face as her eyes drifted open, shining with something he couldn't describe before she blinked and her fingertips lifted to her lips. Exhaling softly, he brushed the back of his index finger over her cheek.

"I'll get your phone."

He missed her quirky little half-smile as he turned back to the car, this conversation by no means over, and rummaged through the glove box to retrieve the phone. Missed as Sam seemed to make a decision in the moment he turned away; missed the way her eyes cleared, her smile growing from the bemused to the delighted as she fully registered the event.

What he didn't miss was Sam catching his hand as he turned to return her cell phone and - when their eyes locked - a shy look in hers. Everything was in her eyes, and while their road ahead wasn't going to be easy, her words gave him hope that there _was_ going to be a road ahead.

"Better to beg forgiveness, is it?"

He nodded. "Am I forgiven?"

"You're sure about taking this back to cyberspace?"

"In am."

"Even after... this?"

Swallowing hard, he nodded, knowing he couldn't hide the pained look on his face. "If necessary; I won't lose you Sam. If that means waiting until we're away from here to be with you, I will."

"Then there's nothing to forgive." She turned to go.

"Sam-"

"Yeah?"

"Are we okay?"

Considering the question, she shot him a smile. "We're no worse off than we were before; we just... know each other a little better."

"And a little worse, is that it?"

"Time will tell; I'll see you online later, okay?"

"Tonight?"

Sam nodded, casting one hand up in acknowledgement as she strode away.

Unable to help himself, he grinned at her retreating back. "It's a date."

Her laughter as she headed for her car drifted back to him. "In your dreams, Ames... in your dreams."

Shaking his head, he turned to climb into his car, his good mood restored as he considered her tease; if only she knew!

_fin_

----------

**Author's Note:** That's the last of them folks, unless you can think of any others you'd like to see (**message me ***grin*) or unless I get a stroke of genius and another one hits me... but, this is me "What If" moment-outted for this movie. Thanks for reading; I'm glad you've enjoyed :D


	17. A Connection

**_Author's Note:_** I know I said I was done with these, but a special thanks to the individual who suggested this as a "What If" vignette; you know who you are :)

My muse just couldn't resist!

* * *

**Vig #17 – A Connection**

Austin plastered another flyer to the wall with a shake of his head, idly wondering why he was bothering to involve David and Ryan in his mission – aside from the fact they were his best friends – to find PrincetonGirl818, aka Cinderella. They obviously didn't understand why he was bothering no matter how he tried to explain it.

"Well, look in the yearbook again, Bro," David told him, obviously losing patience with Austin's obsession and it wasn't even the end of Lunch hour yet. "Maybe you missed her."

"Maybe she's foreign exchange," Ryan's expression shifted, as if something wonderful had just occurred to him as he turned towards Austin. "That's _hot_."

Ryan agreed immediately, grinning. "_Totally_. That's like… 'Lo Hawt!"

Grinning at his friend's antics, knowing they were just trying to cheer him up, he laughed once. And then his smile died as he shook his head, reaching for another flyer from the stack in Ryan's hands. "Look," he told them patiently, "there's no way I missed her. I mean… we had a connection."

Ryan and David were suspiciously silent at his insistence as he looked up to continue down the hallway – and his eyes were drawn of their own accord to the petite blonde, sans baseball cap, that David loved to torment. The blonde who was just the right height as his Cinderella and had _her_ half smile.

_No way._

He didn't believe it, giving her a hard look, and her head came up as if suddenly stung, aware of his scrutiny. And her gaze snagged him. Her eyes were the same shade, the same shape, held the same _sparkle_ as the girl who'd danced with him on Friday; he'd _dreamed_ about those eyes all weekend.

It couldn't be that easy.

His steps faltered for a half second, watching as horror widened her eyes to round saucers, but there was no mistaking those eyes. They passed, their eyes locked, and abruptly he turned, taking the step across the hallway to intercept her, his hand slamming into the locker she'd been about to walk into, and closing it, all the while drawing her to an immediate stop.

"Thanks, man."

The student whose locker he'd just shut was ignored as he stared down into her eyes. Into PrincetonGirl818's eyes; his Cinderella.

"Dude, why'd you do that, it would have been _hilar_-"

"Dave," without taking his gaze from hers, his sharp inflection cut his friend off. "Take a breather."

"But-"

"Go," he told the other footballer curtly.

Peripherally he was aware of Ryan dragging David away under protest, but at that moment he didn't care. _She_ stood before him. Gone was the mask, the makeup, the dress, shoes and up-do. Gone was the surreal sense of their meeting having been fated; of having the breath knocked out of him. Here, in the plain light of day, his Princess had been changed into a regular girl – an ironic twist of fate that life should so mirror the fairy tale.

Cinderella was watching him, her mouth slightly open, as if she couldn't believe he'd stopped her. And, if he was completely honest with himself, he couldn't believe he'd stopped her either. He hadn't thought about it, just reacted upon seeing that she was about to step into danger.

Unable to think of anything else to say as he stared down at her, he spoke without thinking. "You should watch where you're going; that could have hurt."

Her lips snapped shut, tightening, a flare of something akin to indignation zinging through her gaze. It wasn't an expression he was wholly familiar with, but certainly echoed the one he'd seen when she'd realized his identity at the masquerade.

"I usually do," she came back coolly even though there was no mistaking the tremor in her voice. "When I'm not being glared at by the Student Body President."

"Glared at?" he echoed, amusement making him grin even as he pitched his voice for her ears alone. "If that's what you think is a glare, Princeton Girl, we need to work on how you read people."

Her sucked in breath was echoed somewhere off behind him, but Austin didn't turn and instead watched as the color faded from her cheeks.

"What did you call me?"

"You heard me."

She gave him a look, but there was no mistaking the fear that crept into her eyes. "Have you been drinking, Austin?"

_"Sam!"_

Austin didn't look behind him at the incredulous hissed, but Cinderella did, making a face and then a cutting motion with her hand before abruptly looking Austin's way but not meeting his eyes again. "I've gotta run; thanks for the save."

Seeing he wouldn't get anywhere with her at that moment, Austin let her go. She ducked under the arm he still had on the lockers and darted away. Turning to follow her progress, he wasn't disappointed when she looked back at him, color flooding her cheeks when she realized he was watching. Their gazes locked again, the connection between them springing up even from across the crowded hallway. He could see her gasp before ducking her head and practically sprinting to the corner, disappearing from his sight.

Sam.

Her name was Sam.

He smiled faintly. "You can run, Sam," he murmured softly. "But I know where to find you."

* * *

Austin didn't go to the Diner that night.

He followed his normal routine, took Ryan and David's search for his Princess with a grain of salt and put a stop to the nonsense. He waited, biding his time as he attended football practice and then went for shakes with the guys.

And he ignored Shelby.

She hung around obviously hoping to change his mind about his mystery girl, but after meeting Sam in the hallway, Austin was absolutely certain Shelby couldn't hold a candle to her. It wasn't Sam's looks - by day she was a plain-Jane by anyone's standards - but her spirit. Despite having been caught in the hall, she hadn't been able to resist fighting back. Determined, he'd seen, to keep her secret even if he'd discovered it.

The question was now what was he to do about it?

They knew each others identities, but was he really ready to oust her in front of the whole student body? No question; he wanted to see her again - but not at the cost that would be demanded at school. Should he suggest another meeting? Would she even talk to him after their meeting in the hallway today?

Getting home late that night, he went straight to his room to study. Promptly turned on his computer and logged into his AOL account. His disappointment at not finding something waiting for him from Princeton Girl - _Sam _- was acute even if it was expected. Everything he knew about her said she would run... and this was just another way of doing so.

Did he dare message her first? Did he dare take the risk she wouldn't message him at all? Even as he considered it, he knew he'd have to make the first move. He'd seen the fear in Sam's eyes today when he'd confronted her in the hallway, even though she'd denied her identity - but Austin would have known her anywhere after the dance. It was just his luck that he hadn't been back to the Diner before the end of the weekend.

If he had...

But there was no use in dwelling on the 'what ifs' of his weekend. Or in the hallway today. He'd been honest enough with Sam at the dance; he'd been close to head over heels for his chat partner. Obsessed for sure, but now that he knew who she was, his questions came back to him - a question she'd never really answered.

_Do you believe in love at first sight?_

Much as he wanted to, Austin knew it was untrue; he'd seen Sam before and never known who she was. Now, with his knowledge of Princeton Girl coloring his perceptions and the unconditional acceptance she'd given, he'd never look at her the same way again. Love at first sight?

Perhaps not.

Opening his e-mail window, he pulled up Sam's screen name and began to write, putting his jumbled thoughts together and hoping they'd make some semblance of sense.

_Dear Sam_

_When we met in the hallway today, you denied who you were and I think I understand why, especially after our first meeting at the dance; I'm about as socially opposite from you as I can get. _

_All of your talk about the cool kids should have tipped me off that you were in front of me the whole time, but I don't think I wanted to acknowledge the fact that we might be from such different worlds. Having seen you, knowing who you are now, I understand why you came masked to the party. _

_And I'm glad._

_I'm glad you gave me the chance to get to know you in person without the trappings of social expectation. _

Austin paused, not really wanting to get that personal, but knowing he had to. Sam had been nothing if not brutally honest with him and he deserved to give her the same. Exhaling softly, he remembered giving her the answer she wished to hear - that he _wanted_ to see her again - and knew that while it was true, he wasn't sure if it was wise. If he'd known who she was, could he honestly say he'd have told her yes? He didn't know and it was a humbling admission - one she needed to hear.

_I know myself well enough to admit - to my shame - that had you come unmasked, I might have given you the same reaction you initially gave me. I would have been too self conscious to give you the chance you deserve; I would have been too self-conscious, too aware of the gap in our reputations to enjoy myself as I did. _

_That makes me superficial and shallow, I guess; something I've never considered myself to be. _

_I never realized until today just _how much_ my popularity's affected me. It shouldn't matter, and yet I find that I know exactly - as do you - what people will say if they discover your identity. I don't want to subject you to that kind of humiliation; and it _would_ be humiliation - the people I normally hang with aren't known for their kindness. _

_Not that I need to tell _you_ that._

Stopping, Austin stared at the page he'd written so far, a headache starting to pound behind his eyes. What had started as an e-mail to assure her he wouldn't oust her in front of the school, had become something more. A confessional, perhaps?

He exhaled a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes with thumb and forefinger. This is what he got for letting his fingers walk across the keyboard - but even knowing who she was, he still felt he could tell her anything. She'd not identified him to anyone that he knew of and, in doing so, had shown herself more than worthy of the trust he'd placed in her.

What about the trust she'd placed in him? He grimaced and set his fingers back on the board.

_Still, knowing what I know now, and admitting it to you, I wish you'd trusted me with your identity before the end of the weekend - that you'd had the same faith in me that I'd put in you at the dance. After the dance - certainly not before it, but after we'd spent such a magical evening (and it _was_ magical for me) I'd have given you the same courtesy you gave me; I'd have accepted your identity._

_I did in the hallway at school today; but then, I knew you the moment our eyes met. I meant what I said; you have a set of the most distinctive, mesmerizing eyes I've ever seen. I don't think I'll ever forget them._

_I asked you at the dance if you believed in love at first sight and the answer you gave me was vague and evasive and I know why you did - now. Because I have seen you before and never recognized what and who you are. I should have seen it and I didn't; I let social expectation blind me to everyone who was 'unpopular'... and I've missed out._

_I know you, Sam, and you know me - the _real_ me; the me no one else knows. Thank you for the chance to be that guy; I only hope that you'll continue to allow it._

_I've only one question for you that really needs to be answered, if you'll still talk to me after today._

_Now that we both know who the other is, do _you_ still want to take this outside of cyberspace knowing the obstacles we'll face or would you rather wait until we're at Princeton? _

_For me, the answer is simple; I said at the dance I wanted to see you again. My answer hasn't changed... but we might want to think about context. The last thing I want to do - knowing what I know about you - is make life more difficult for you. I'm under no illusion that entering into any kind of relationship - friendship or otherwise - at this moment with me would be anything but._

_The choice is yours and I'll go with whatever you decide. I hope to hear from you soon - for the record, I wouldn't object to a phone call to discuss this - but I'll understand if you want to keep it here in cyberspace for now. _

_-Austin_

He didn't bother re-reading it before pressing the send button - and then froze, realizing what he'd said and letting out a disbelieving chuckle. She couldn't call him; he had her cell phone. Shaking his head at his own lapse, he exhaled a long breath and hoped Sam would still talk to him.

Turning away from the computer, he left it on and reached for his books, but even as he did so, he wasn't sure why he was bothering. He'd never be able to study tonight; he was on pins and needles hoping Sam would get his e-mail and get back to him. Glancing at the clock, he made a face.

Except she'd be working for the next forty minutes.

Forty minutes before she'd be off shift.

Twenty after that if she had to stop on the way home to do anything for her dragon of a step-mother; five if she didn't. And, if she logged in immediately after getting home, he _might_ hear from her in about an hour, hour and a half.

If she answered him at all.

Determined, he reached for his study notes. Sam wouldn't get back to him for at least an hour and, for that hour, he really did need to study. He only hoped time wouldn't drag. Pushing away from the computer, but leaving the screen on, he settled comfortably on his bed to study. _Tonight_, he reflected wryly, knowing he wouldn't sleep until Sam either answered him or didn't, _is going to be a long night._

His patience, however, was rewarded just over an hour later when his AOL alerted him that he had a new e-mail. His book hit the sheets as he leapt to his feet and brought the monitor out of hibernation. His heart lurched in a familiar fashion upon seeing that the message was PrincetonGirl818; she'd answered him!

His mouse went to the message and then hovered, undecided as he suddenly questioned the wisdom behind opening it. Did he really want to know what she thought of him? What if she blew him off and told him to leave her alone? Could he handle it the way he'd said he could?

Mentally accusing himself of being a coward - and knowing it was the truth - he forced himself to open the e-mail.

_Austin,_

_I lost my cell phone at the dance, so calling you isn't exactly an option. I'll have to let you know when I get a new one. _

His throat closed; that sounded, he realized, re-reading the comment, like she didn't want to give up what they had. His eyes skimming the page, he greedily read the rest of her e-mail.

_You caught me by surprise today; I never dreamed you'd recognize me at school - or confront me if you did. I chickened out and I'm not proud of it; I've never pegged myself as a coward._

_So here's your confirmation. _

_You're right; my name is Samantha Montgomery, but everyone calls me Sam. You know things about me no one else does and that scares me even though it's a bit of a thrill to know the Student Body President is the one keeping those secrets. _

_I think it would be best if we stay cyber space and e-mail pals for now. Until we both get into Princeton that is. I can't really afford the distraction the upheaval you and I being friends would bring - AP courses are hard, especially when you're juggling a job, a life, like mine. I'm not saying that to chicken out again, though I'm sure it looks like it. I just can't afford to let my studies slide, not even for you._

_Once we're three thousand miles away, why don't we see where things lead? _

_-Sam_

_P.S. what do you propose we do about the posters littering the school? It's not as if you can just give up overnight, right?_

He grinned, unable to hide his amusement despite the fact she was doing exactly what he suspected she would. Foregoing the e-mail aspect, he opened a chat window and hoped she was still online. Any other night of the week, he'd have taken it for granted that she'd be around, but tonight he wasn't so sure.

**Nomad609:** Hey, you around?

To his relief, she came back almost immediately.

**PrincetonGir818:** Alive and kicking. I'm surprised you're still up.

**Nomad609:** You didn't honestly think I'd be sleeping after sending you that e-mail, did you?

**PrincetonGir818:** ... I guess not.

**Nomad609:** Good. I can't say I'm surprised by your decision though... or your reasons behind it.

**PrincetonGir818:** Then what are you? I 'hear' a but in there somewhere.

He chuckled; trust Sam to catch on quick.

**Nomad609:** But I'm disappointed; I was hoping to get to know you better before Princeton

**PrincetonGir818:** I don't think that's a good idea; if things went south, it would interrupt my studies and then I might not get in to Princeton.

**Nomad609:** Liar; you've already sent your transcripts, just like me. You'll get in - I've seen your grades.

**PrincetonGir818:** You have?

**Nomad609:** Yeah... at the top, or near the top, of every test they've ever posted. It's kinda hard to miss even if nobody knew who you on sight

**PrincetonGir818:** Gee thanks

Austin grinned at the response, almost able to see the way she'd be smiling, tongue in cheek.

**PrincetonGir818:** You beat me in English though.

**Nomad609: **Tied actually; my name was just listed first because I'm an "A".

**PrincetonGir818:** Ah modesty; who'd have thought it?

**Nomad609:** It comes and goes. I'm glad you're not mad at me for today at school.

**PrincetonGir818:** Should I have been? You just caught me off guard and it -is- only fair you know who I am since I know who you are.

**Nomad609:** I 'hear' a but in there somewhere

He smirked as he lobbed her statement back at her, hoping to make her laugh and lift the mood a bit.

**PrincetonGir818:** lol - nice... and you're right. 'But' I wish I'd been the one to tell you, not get caught out.

Staring at the screen and knowing what he knew about the girl who'd made it her life's work to be invisible in the school social scene - or so it seemed - he wondered at the truth of that statement. Tapping the keyboard lightly, he considered how best to phrase the next question and then decided she'd always liked his honesty so he'd continue to give it.

**Nomad609:** -Would- you have, told me that is, if I hadn't recognized you?

**PrincetonGir818:** I'd like to think so... someday

Someday.

He frowned.

**Nomad609:** I'd have gone crazy having seen you but not knowing who you are. I'm glad I know; it'll save me from another sleepless night.

**PrincetonGir818:** Sleepless?

**Nomad609:** Fishing for compliments?

**PrincetonGir818:** Disbelieving; you've never lost sleep over me before, why would you now?

Austin considered his response, starting to type and then paused, deleted it, and typed something else.

**Nomad609:** The unknown will do that. I had nightmares all weekend about you running out on me... and never seeing your face.

**PrincetonGir818:** Nightmares, huh? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you lose sleep.

Honesty prompted his next confession, though he doubted she was ready for it.

**Nomad609:** They weren't all nightmares... but those didn't help me sleep either

**PrincetonGir818:** Austin!

**Nomad609:** Just thought you should know they weren't all bad :Þ

**PrincetonGir818:** You're awful.

**PrincetonGir818:** So what do you propose to do about the posters littering the school, huh?

**Nomad609:** I figured I'd wait a week and then take them down - that's all I'm allowed to put them up for anyway. Much as everyone wants to know who you are, I couldn't get more than a week out of the faculty. I'm lucky they gave me that much.

**PrincetonGir818:** Oh?

**Nomad609: **Yeah. I'll take the ribbing for giving up on you, but I do have to see you again, Sam.

**PrincetonGir818:** I don't think that's a good idea.

**Nomad609: **Not even to get your phone back?

**PrincetonGir818:** You found it?

**Nomad609: **Yeah

**PrincetonGir818:** When? Where!

**Nomad609: **On the steps when you fled just before midnight. I've been getting these strange text messages ever since...

**PrincetonGir818:** My stepmother. You know, it's been kinda nice knowing she can't hassle me; maybe I'll let you keep it for a while - until she realizes I don't have it.

**Nomad609: **Doesn't that mean no texting before class?

**PrincetonGir818:** ... you still want to?

**Nomad609:** More than ever. I depend on those sessions to get me through my day.

**PrincetonGir818:** If you say so. Where did you want to make the drop?

A grin he couldn't help crossed his lips. She'd capitulated without much of a fight - it had to mean she missed texting with him too. Of course, once she had her phone back, he could _call_ her and talk to her instead of text - and he found he was eager to try it.

**Nomad609:** Name your preference and I'll be there.

**PrincetonGir818:** I... suppose you could swing by the Diner before school and drop it off.

Not the ideal solution; Austin found he was hoping she'd suggest some place less public. Some place he could have her to himself. He wheedled, hoping for a second option

**Nomad609:** Okay I lied - I don't want to get up that early

**PrincetonGir818:** Would tomorrow after school work, then?

**Nomad609:** How about tomorrow morning in the parking lot before class? That way I can text you at lunch like usual.

There was silence on her end for such a long time, Austin wondered if he'd scared her off.

**Nomad609:** Sam?

**PrincetonGir818:** I'd rather not get it back at school, Austin. Too much of a chance of someone connecting the dots

A chance, but he doubted she'd meet him for coffee so school was the safest of the options. Seeing her socially would only lead to questions. Meeting her in the parking lot could be called a coincidence.

**Nomad609:** Nobody knows I have it except Ryan and Dave - and I'll make sure they're not around when I give it to you. They'll never know you're Cinderella unless you tell them; I'm certainly not going to say anything if you don't want me to.

**PrincetonGir818:** I... guess that would be fine. I'll see you in the morning then?

**Nomad609:** I look forward to it.

**PrincetonGir818:** Sorry to run, but I've got tons of work to do before I hit the sack and, as you know, I start early.

**Nomad609:** Yeah… I know. Sweet dreams Sam - I'll be thinking about you.

**PrincetonGir818:** Good night.

She logged off and he noted that she didn't reply in kind - but he suspected she'd be thinking of him anyway. His equilibrium restored, he shut down his computer and crawled into bed. Tomorrow, he promised himself, he'd remember that she didn't want to take this out of cyberspace just yet... but tonight, as he had every night since they'd connected so strongly as chat partners, he'd dream of her.

Only this time, he noted with a smile as he closed his eyes, he'd be able to see her face clearly.

Besides; _tomorrow_ was soon enough for reality.

_fin_


	18. Unexpected

_Note:_ Special thanks to the individual who suggested this as a "What If" vignette; you know who you are :)

**Vig #18 – Unexpected**

Sam followed Carter to the swimming pool, stopping just inside the gate as she looked about for the popular girl who was the object of their search. Casting a sidelong look at him, she spied the popular girl on the other side of the pool and a sense of the surreal struck her. Carter was crazy if he thought Shelby wasn't going to chew him up and spit him out.

"I cannot believe you're going to tell Shelby it was you."

"Sam," Carter touched her elbow, drawing her attention back his way. "Once she realizes that she's found her Zorro, she'll be... _thrilled_."

Sam secretly doubted it, but she wasn't about to burst his bubble. Carter's optimism was one of the things she liked best about him.

He grinned, confident. "Watch... and learn."

Sam waited where she was, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the gate, unwilling to subject herself to the kind of humiliation she suspected Carter was courting. Her eyes widened in surprise when Carter approached Shelby, bending to kiss her hand and covered her mouth as Shelby snatched it away.

_Here it comes_, she thought miserably, cringing for her friend - only nothing happened.

Shelby froze as Carter, she could see, dropped the "Z" word with a slightly less certain smile. The popular girl glanced to her friends and then back to Carter and then, to Sam's surprise, repeated his admission. She could almost hear Shelby's incredulity.

_"Zorro? _You're_ Zorro."_

Sam saw Carter nod braced herself for the worst... and nearly fell over when Shelby gave her friends a rude gesture and smiled - actually _smiled_ - at Carter. She couldn't begin to guess what was going through the other girl's mind, or Carter's, but Shelby then pulled Carter away, leaving her friends behind.

Blinking in surprise, Sam watched as Carter went with Shelby willingly, tilting his head attentively to whatever she was saying. It looked something like... _"Oh... my God! You? Really? Wow... I've been dreaming of you all weekend." _or something. Carter was over the moon, his grin wide, as he disappeared on the other side of the pool with Shelby, ditching Sam without a second thought.

With a shake of her head, her gaze slid back to Shelby's friends, managing not to laugh at their stunned expressions. Shelby and Carter. Who knew?

Still... she was glad the normally shallow girl had proven to have hidden depths; that she hadn't torn Carter's heart out of his chest, stomped on it and given it back with a smile. If _Shelby_ could accept someone as radically different as Carter, surely Austin - whom she knew far better than Shelby - could accept someone like her.

Right?

Squaring her shoulders, she turned on her heel and left the pool area. Carter wasn't going to be coming back for her any time soon with Shelby as a distraction and Sam, for the first time since she'd dropped her phone, found herself wishing that she had it. It had been nice not to be pestered since losing it - by Fiona or Nomad - and all of a sudden she wished she could ask him where he was. Where he could meet her; because she felt she needed to do this now while Carter's success was ringing in her ears.

_If I were Austin, where would I be?_

It felt strange thinking it, but Sam knew it was the question that needed answering. She paused in the main courtyard, looking around at a loss, only to have her eyebrows hit her hair line as she took in Dave, Ryan and Austin at the friendship circle. Standing queued up beyond them was a long line of girls - and David seemed to have a place card for each one.

A laugh gurgled up in her throat as she realized what she was seeing; a _Cinderella search_ courtesy of David and Ryan.

Poor Austin!

As David was introducing one of the girls, the warning bell rang, catching her attention, but the guys and their line up seemed oblivious. At least until Ms. Wells jumped in, like a dog catcher wielding a net, and scattered them to the four corners of the courtyard.

Two minutes until class if her mental count was right, and Austin was being given a 'pep talk' by David; Ryan's encouragements seemed to be there to temper David's enthusiasm. Taking a deep breath and buoyed by Carter's success with Shelby, she planted herself in the center of the pathway that the guys were walking, Austin obviously the focus of their attention.

It wasn't until they were closer that Sam noted how dejected Austin looked; not amused as she'd have expected. Bracing herself, she squared her shoulders. She'd have preferred to do this without David or Ryan present - and then her courage deserted her as they noticed her and moved to go around.

Accidentally, because suddenly she didn't want to subject herself to David's ridicule, she move the same way as Austin and nearly tripped him up.

She stumbled.

He stumbled.

And Austin recovered first, reaching out to steady him. "Woah! Easy there."

Blushing, her face now the color of crimson, Sam ducked her head. She apologized without thinking, making to move away, "Sorry, Nomad."

"Watch where you're going, Diner girl," David scolded, "You-"

It was the diatribe she'd been trying to avoid, but Sam found Austin had caught her, his fingers having curled about her forearm, his eyes narrowed when she glanced up to meet them. David's comments drifted beyond her and, for the first time she could remember, she didn't hear everything he'd said.

"What did you call me?"

Austin's question was almost lost under David's scathing tone, but Sam caught it none the less. And it was only then she realized what she'd said. Her gaze flew to meet his squarely, her eyes widening with fear as she tugged on her arm; but Austin wouldn't let her leave.

"Dave," Austin's sharp tone cut through the scathing comment the other boy had been making.

"Yeah, bro?"

"I don't need you to harp on her for me; I can do that on my own," despite his words, there was no harping forthcoming. "Give us a minute, would you?"

"Dude, it's _Diner girl_ - and you'll be late for class. It ain't worth detention."

"One minute, man."

Austin tilted his head, indicating Ryan was to take David away - and the second string quarterback did just that, drawing a protesting David back into the school. It wasn't until they were gone that Austin's grip loosened, but he didn't let her go entirely, his fingers contracting again when she tugged half heartedly at her arm.

"You can let me go now, Austin."

"If I didn't think you'd bolt, I would."

Swallowing hard, Sam came to a decision; she'd made Carter a promise. He'd kept up his end o the bargain, now was the chance to keep up hers. Tilting her head at an angle so she could see him as clearly as he saw her, she nodded once, sharply. "I would; except I promised Carter I'd talk to you."

"Carter."

"Yeah; drama guy - went to the dance as my escort, Zorro?"

The long moment it took for her words to sink in had Austin exhaling sharply. There was very little emotion in his voice when he finally identified her properly. "You're Princeton Girl."

Eyes darting left and then right, Sam once again nodded - once. "I am."

His expression changed, taking her in from the top of her head to the tips of her feet, as if trying to resolve the girl before him with the girl at the dance. He looked for such a long time that Sam shifted her feet, her gaze on the doors to the school behind him.

When his gaze finally came back to hers, his comment was inane. "I didn't see you in my line up."

"Should I have been?" Her words, when she found them, were dry. "Your friends obviously set that up and they probably think I didn't even go to the dance."

"You mean they probably don't think about you at all."

"Do you?"

"All the time," he smiled faintly for the first time since stopping her and it held a self-mocking edge. "I just never knew it was you."

"I see. Still believe in love at first sight, Nomad?" her lips twisted. "It's a little cliché for my taste."

The bell for class rang, drawing them from their conversation and saving him from answering. Austin reluctantly released her, his fingers trailing over her forearm. "I've something that belongs to you; something you dropped at the dance."

"My phone!"

He nodded. "I'll get it back to you later, okay?"

"I..." Sam didn't have a chance to do more than start her sentence before he was gone. With a shake of her head and mumbling about frustrating high school _boys_, she crossed the courtyard at a full sprint. She was going to be late for class, but she'd done it. She'd told Austin who she was and now, even if he never spoke with her again, she could honestly tell Carter they were even.

Her stomach knotted as she slid into her chair in time to answer roll call, a belated shaking taking her by surprise as she opened her book to the appropriate page. She'd told Austin Ames she was his chat buddy and he'd not run screaming.

Amazing.

Yet, even as she marveled, she couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't have simply been easier if he'd turned her away; things, she suspected, were about to get complicated.

_fin_


End file.
